The Living Room Tour

by

Carole King

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Carol King releases her much anticipated two CD set, The Living Room Tour, with a flourish and artistic style rarely seen or accomplished. This set is an awesome opportunity to experience King not just sing, but also play the guitar and piano flawlessly. She wows her audience every step of the way; to write that she has an excellent rapport with her audience is to state the obvious. King is a titan of the 20th century musical form; and this two CD set is a must not only for her fans but also for lovers of all rock and pop music in general.

King displays remarkable ability to express all emotions here. Whether it's the thoughts of the death of a relationship in "It's Too Late," the celebration of womanhood as a relationship blossoms in "(You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman," or the plaintive, poignant cries of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," Carole King surpasses all expectations in her ability to emote, to befriend and enchant her audience. And how's about her storytelling abilities in "Smackwater Jack?" Her in person concerts give Carole the chance to share emotions intimately with her audience. The San Francisco Chronicle wrote that during her concerts "(King) did indeed act for all the world like that's where she was and that everybody there was her dear friend." I couldn't have said it better myself!

King gets ample help from talented peers on this two CD set. Look for both Gary Burr and Rudy Guess helping out with vocals, guitar and bass instruments. Louise Goffin and Sherry Goffin Kondor add some great background vocals that you won't want to miss. The sound quality and cover art are very well done.

Also, don't forget that this set offers two new songs: the opening "Welcome To My Living Room" as well as the devoted and caring song called "Loving You Forever," a duet King wrote with Gary Burr. The two new songs are a fantastic plus! And then there's the power of the live recordings bringing back fond memories, that element of nostalgia. People like nostalgia; and King delivers that well here with a whopping seven songs that were number one hits during her lengthy career.

Carole King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 for her exemplary work as a songwriter. And, when it comes down to it, The Living Room Tour two CD set reminds us all again so clearly that very few artists perform songs as powerfully as Carole King. Carole, we are richer for your being here with us; because we've STILL got a friend! As usual, GREAT JOB, CAROLE-AND THANK YOU!

Wow, Carole King. To my mind, she's been out of the limelight for so long that I never figured she'd venture back, but here she is. From the sound of things, though, it is fairly obvious that she is not trying to address the past two musical generations that have passed in her absence. Instead, she is addressing the faithful crowd that helped to boost her career in the early seventies, making her perhaps the most successful singer/songwriters of her generation. That is saying a lot, too, especially If you bother to recall that James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Gordon Lightfoot, Jim Croce and dozens of others were all vying for that title back then. On this disk, there are a few new tunes, but the real purpose of this two-disk collection is to remind us of King's relevance, and she achieves this with ease. The medley of early hits (co-written with her ex, Gerry Goffin) that closes disk one proves this amply enough all by itself, weaving together strands of "Take Good Care of My Baby", "Go Away Little Girl", "I'm Into Something Good" and "One Fine Day," among others.

Besides showcasing that, at age 62, she still has a powerful voice and can perform her own songs with ease, this live collection spells out a career that both predates and post-dates the Beatles, something that very few others in the music industry could do successfully. Early songs that she wrote for others, like "Chains" (originally by the Cookies, but eventually covered by the Beatles, by the way), stand alongside solo hits like "It's Too Late" and "So Far Away". It's a career retrospective that comes full circle with new material ("Welcome to My Living Room" is an amusing standout), especially when joined by her daughter Louise Goffin, when they duet on a reworked, `feminized' version of "Where You Lead I Will Follow". Young kids might recognize "Jazzman" from an episode of the Simpsons, but it's doubtful that this collection will attract a younger audience for Carole King. It certainly will appeal to old fans from her own generation, though, while garnering much deserved respect for one of the most talented and versatile songwriters of the rock and roll era. For perspective, we're talking about the woman who wrote "Pleasant Valley Sunday", which I think sounds incredibly cool even today. Is it contemporary? No, but is it relevant? Absolutely. B Tom Ryan