200 MOST RECOMMENDED ALBUMS: #17. Continues next week.

THE CAFFE` LATTE`

200

MOST RECOMMENDED ALBUMS

Some are the best selling, while others may be obscure, but the albums listed here are all worthy of a listen. No compilation/ best of sets. Only exceptional live albums included. This is a personal listing of the albums I enjoy the most to this day.

#17

TAPESTRY: CAROLE KING

 

 [1971] 

Carole King, already an accomplished songwriter, emerged from the shadows as a fully fledged soloist in 1971. 'Tapestry' remains a milestone in recorded popular music. It's easy to see how it remains 1 of the best selling albums by a female artist. King revisited some of her classics such as "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman".  Her vocal approach sheds a new perspective on the lyrics. She offers new songs such as "It's Too Late" and "You've Got A Friend". Both are pinnacles within her impressive songbook. The latter has been covered numerous times. King may not possess the best voice, but this only adds to the sincerity and vulnerability of her execution. The music is varied enough to sustain interest. There are hints of jazz in "Smackwater Jack". This album is home to many memorable and familiar songs including "Beautiful", "I Feel The Earth Move" and "Where You Lead". King serrves pathos in the finely crafted ballads "So Far Away", the title track and "Home Again". 'Tapestry' remains in a class of its own. King never surpassed its level of sustained relevance and superior standard. More than any other album, this one ushered in the singer/songwriter era that dominated the early 1970s.

Highlight tracks:

*It's Too Late

* So Far Away

* Home Again

* You've Got A Friend

* Tapestry