Three Dog Night Joy To The World – These guys had 21 hit songs in succession including this one, which sounds a little forced in 2015, a little unsteady in its attack (yes attack), as it sneers or smiles. Written by Hoyt Axton – B
The great pop lyricist Gerry Goffin, who wrote the words to so many of Carole King’s greatest compositions, is dead at 77. Goffin was responsible for some 40 Top 10 Hits and the man was a true poet, unless you don’t think “Some Kind Of Wonderful” was true poetry
Jessie has a better voice than King, and she performs these songs, underperforms, underplays her hand, to perfection. Her “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” in the first act is tentative and strained and “It’s Too Late” in the second act, the blossoming of a great singer
Roving Eye – James Chance – Not only does Chance blow like a dream that is emerging out of a nightmare, he sings like a white boy coked out yelping twitching basket case channeling James Brown in the best way and this is a Ze Records peak from the early years.
Runaway Dreamer – Sophie Ellis-Bextor – The album drags me but this is a clever pop rock MORer which snapped the UK to attention, not least because Sophis is a popular model, but also because the song is as catchy as this kinda stuff can kind – A
Why did McGrath not tell this story? Why have I stumbled into an episode of “the Dick Van Dyke Show” ? Nothing in “Beautiful” works. Nothing at all. It is terrible and except for her daughter being the producer of this atrocity, I see no reason why Carole King would be associated with it.
Goodbye Don’t Mean I’m Gone – Carole King – Off her Tapestry album follow up, Carole took to the mountains in California and tended to her daughter. But she was still a round – A
