Carole King: Music - 1971

 

It is a piece of subsequently-perceived knowledge that this album was rushed out quickly at the end of 1971 in order to cash in on the incredible success of Tapestry, without too much attention being paid to the quality as long as it sounded the same as its illustrious predecessor. 

I have to say that, to an extent, it plays out a bit like a collection of tracks that didn't make it onto Tapestry, but that is to do the album a disservice. Agreed, there is no It's Too Late, (You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman, You've Got A Friend or Will You Love Me Tomorrow? in terms of the sheer instancy of those songs, but a song like the totally winsome, typical Carole King of It's Going To Take Some Time is right up there with them, for me. The song was also covered successfully by The Carpenters, of course. 

King also diversifies a bit, seemingly adding to Marvin Gaye's hard-hitting peace, tolerance and brotherhood message from What's Going On on the opener, Brother Brother, a track that also utilises the same saxophone sound as Gaye's socially-aware trail-blazer. King no doubt wanted to show that she was more than just a dreamy songwriter appealing to middle-class students, she could do social messages too. 

Sweet Seasons has the tempo upping with a brassy, punchy sound and a catchy melody. The same musicians are used on this as on Tapestry and you could tell. Danny Kortchmar's guitar, Charles Larkey's sumptuously delicious bass and Bobbye Hall's bongos are still all over the album. That was so much the sound of Carole King at this time, wasn't it? Piano, Bass and bongos.

King beautifully re-works her and Gerry Goffin's 1961 hit for The Drifters on Some Kind Of Wonderful, rather like Will You Love Me Tomorrow? was given a renaissance on Tapestry. Surely is a lovely, plaintive ballad that is again in possession of a robust, warm bassline. Kortchmar's effortless, laid-back guitar solo is excellent too. 

Carry Your Load is one of those King songs that merges a gospelly influence with a poetic, dreamy quality. "Thinking alone on a Thursday morning of peace and love and war, I still don't have any answers but I don't get high anymore" is such a great line, one that shows a new feeling in the seventies, one of global concern and a goodbye to those carefree sixties days of getting high. The song has a thought-provoking, attractive quality to it.

Beginning with Music, the album's second half ups the tempo on an avant-garde Joni Mitchell-ish jazz number that almost gets funky too. Curtis Amy's saxophone is superb on this and it goes without saying that the bass is too. Song Of Long Ago is short but nicely nostalgic, as the title would suggest. Brighter is also short but deliciously rumbling, breezy, summery and enthusiastic. King is taking the Abbey Road medley format here of putting several short songs together and it works. The airy Growing Away From Me and the lovely Too Much Rain are both fine additions to the vibe.

This is an album that takes its time to get there, but it does, slowly but surely, surprisingly ending with a fine piece of rollicking rootsy country rock in Back To California. Yes, apart from this final number, there is a certain uniformity to the album, but it is a smooth, reassuring one. It is Tapestry's overlooked younger sister.