Every new and fascinating detail we learn about traditional country influenced indie Americana singer Anitra Carr’s background allows us to understand the depth of her music in different and unique ways. Though it doesn’t directly impact the insightful and emotionally impactful songs she sings today, one of my favorite formational stories is the NYC native’s audition for Annie on Broadway at age 10.
Making the final seven from a cattle call of 600 performers made her realize, through her tears for not getting the role, that she would be a singer. Even during the years as an adult when she wasn’t gigging professionally – like the years she took off to be the best stepmom ever to her husband’s four kids – people would always ask, “Are you still singing?” That’s because it’s something she has always done and everyone in her life knew it.
That lifelong passion and dedication to music helps us understand her lush, beautifully produced (by famed new age/world music “sound painter” Vito Gregoli) new ballad “Forevermore” on a deeper level than just the magnificent love song we hear it as the first time – and maybe the second. Because as we hear a classic in the making love song about two people who are mad for each other, we’re also experiencing the latest manifestation of Anitra’s own love affair with singing and songwriting.
As the origin story goes, the Sedona AZ based Anitra was inspired to compose the tune by a request to sing at a dear friend’s wedding. Rather than take the easy road and sing a classic, she created her own potential classic, a resonant emotional tune that speaks to the heart of what a bride and groom feel when they face each other at the altar.
With Anitra’s voice breezing beautifully over Gregoli’s soulful and sensitive (and just a bit twangy) acoustic guitar, she sings, “When you look in my eyes/My heart soars inside/It’s you I adore/My love, Forevermore”. The simple, heart-tugging poetry continues in the second verse: “Like a whisper on a breeze/You set my soul at ease/With everything you do…”
To get all the feelings just right, she tapped into her own love story with her beloved husband – which once upon a time led her to move across country to Los Angeles to devote herself to raising her new family. She showcases the depth of her experience majestically, and even gets in some clever wordplay, adding “insider lines” about her relationship like “The silly games we play” and “Catching stars along the way.” We can assume they’re the celestial variety but she admits they also refer to the Michelin multi-star restaurants they frequent.
In essence, buoyed by Gregoli’s sparkling string harmonies and solo (including strains of ukulele and steel guitar), she creates the ultimate love song for both her friend and her husband – and by extension any of us who want to declare our forever to a loved one.
It's a beautiful follow-up to Anitra’s socially conscious single “Dignity,” which taps into the humanity of the homeless people she encountered on the street in Downtown L.A. Much more personal in tone and intention, “Forevermore” is the perfect complement to that – and offers great promise for what she may grace us with in the months to come!
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