Music: Party Doll

Mary Chapin Carpenter

For her greatest-hits album, the big sister of folk-rock country accentuates the up-tempo side of her decade-long legacy. Don't look for the cogent introspection of Only a Dream; here she has chosen songs brassy enough to be sung at the Super Bowl (Down at the Twist and Shout) or on Letterman (Can't Take Love for Granted). They sound great, as do two new anthems about the singer's favorite people: women who run risks, pay for them, keep on running. And at the head of the pack, still not breathing hard, there's Chapin.

--By Richard Corliss

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