State of the Heart

New Jersey native Mary Chapin Carpenter’s second album offered a new view of what country music could encompass. State of the Heart made waves by alternating between the tartly twangy Americana of trenchant two-steppers like “Too Tired” and complex, folk-flecked ballads bound to bring a lump to your throat, like “Goodbye Again.” Carpenter’s country/folk hybrid bravely broke down the musical borders between Nashville and the Northeast with quietly stunning songs like “This Shirt,” speaking volumes via deftly played poetic understatement and connecting directly to the heart.