ANITRA CARR, "Dignity"

The fascinating geography of emerging indie country rock singer-songwriter Anitra Carr goes something like this. A native of New York now living in Sedona, AZ, she’s enjoyed a unique career performing on theatre stages and clubs everywhere from Nashville to Denver, where she gained recognition with the award-winning Ryan Tracy Band. But it was a wrong turn in downtown Los Angeles – skid row, to be specific – that has inspired “Dignity,” the soulful, heartfelt and socially conscious song that is quickly becoming the most impactful song of her career.

Carr’s first single since the release of her self-titled 2022 review, the track – written by the singer, the track’s producer David Vito Gregoli and Smoke Wallin – is in many ways her thoughtful, graceful response to the questions she asked herself after seeing so many homeless people “living” on the streets in that concentrated area: “How can we look in the eyes of brothers and sisters on the streets and not see their humanity? How can we let this be in such a beautiful and bountiful world?” Carr was inspired to write "Dignity" by a poem her husband wrote called "Downtrodden Dignity".

Singing straightforwardly over an inviting mid-tempo groove, infectious acoustic guitar accompaniment and colorful electric guitar-driven harmony lines, Carr just needs a few deft lyric lines to paint the symbol of a systemic tragedy. She begins relating the plight of a single homeless woman she encounters: “She is sleeping on the sidewalk/No one will listen/Nowhere to call home,” with “desperate eyes, they see right through me.”

She reflects that this woman is a “soul abandoned, face down on the ground” and mentions the typical attitude of folks who might encounter the same woman (or type of person) and walk quickly past, as if “not my problem” and dismissing it as “their poor choices.” Verse two (after the first chorus) finds her reflecting that this so called life is nothing anyone ever dreams of, let alone could have pondered starting out.  

On the powerful emphatic chorus, the singer offers hope that there’s a place not far away that’s “warm and safe, to rest and heal” – and that even in the worst of circumstances, we can somehow ascertain their dignity, and thus underlying worth as human beings. After a quick yet boisterous instrumental break, she invokes an important teaching from Scripture – “love the unlovable,” and she wonders if this kind of encounter and how we react to it is what Jesus meant.

In just a few lines, she cuts through all the religiosity of contemporary Christianity and cuts to the heart of divinity. “Dignity” serves as not only a powerful piece of music, but as a challenge – can we do that or is it easier to still look the other way when it’s not convenient? It’s a great country song but an even more intense conversation starter.   

Carr wrote and recorded dignity to raise awareness and support the efforts of Dignitymoves.org, a San Francisco based organization committed to not only providing immediate support to those experiencing homelessness but also drive systemic change through impactful policy and advocacy.