{"id":39688,"date":"2006-03-22T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2006-03-22T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/tapestry-2\/"},"modified":"2006-03-22T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2006-03-22T00:00:00","slug":"tapestry-2","status":"publish","type":"review","link":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/tapestry-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Tapestry"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Whoa, where the hell did this come from?<\/p>\n

The other day I was skimming through a book at Barnes
\n& Noble which contained a list of the top 100 selling albums of
\nthe 70s. After finding great pleasure in the fact I have nine out
\nof the top ten (the one holdout is the soundtrack to Saturday
\nNight Fever<\/i>), I started flipping to see what else made the
\nlist. Somewhere around 30 I think, Carole King’s Tapestry<\/i>
\nturned up, and I shuffled on over to the music section to grab a
\ncopy.<\/p>\n

Carole King is one of those artists whose name was
\nfamiliar to me, but I really had no experience with her work
\nwhatsoever. After researching the matter further, it turns out that
\na great deal of artists covered her songs in the 60’s, and it was
\nupon James Taylor’s insistence that she began to sing her own
\nsongs. I wish when someone gave me advice it would turn out as well
\nas this.<\/p>\n

The first aspect of Tapestry<\/i> that slapped me
\nin the face was how many songs I ended up recognizing from the
\nradio. At least five tracks, either sung by King or someone else,
\nwere major hits. “I Feel The Earth Move,” “It’s Too Late,” “You’ve
\nGot A Friend,” “So Far Away,” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A
\nNatural Woman” are tracks I knew and liked. Even more impressive is
\nthe quality of the album tracks. Every song on Tapestry<\/i>
\nprobably could have been a hit — there is no drop in quality.<\/p>\n

Tapestry<\/i> is not over-produced, which makes up
\na big part of the album’s homespun charm. The sound consists
\nlargely of drums and piano, with a few sonic flourishes and some
\nsaxophone and guitar here and there. Instead of the music,
\nTapestry<\/i> is carried by the hooks and riveting vocals from
\nKing — when she is singing, her voice carries the song to a whole
\nnew level, as on “You’ve Got A Friend,” where you believe what she
\nis singing. The thing is, King isn’t the most technically gifted
\nnor most impressive female vocalist I’ve heard. However, her voice
\nfits the music better than others. These are personal,
\nintrospective lyrics, and King doesn’t lose sight of that.<\/p>\n

As I mentioned before, the hits are famous, so there
\nis not too much I have to say on them. Suffice it to say, they are
\nworthy of their status. So allow me to highlight what else
\nTapestry<\/i> has to offer. “Way Over Yonder” features a great
\nblend of pop and gospel; for my money, this is King’s best
\nperformance on the album. While the lyrics for “Smackwater Jack”
\nsound like they are suited more for Cher than King, the Billy
\nPreston-ish keyboards save the day. Also, it’s not difficult to
\ndetect a strain of feminism running through Tapestry<\/i>, and
\nwhile it may sound dated today, I respect that King it doesn’t bash
\nthe listener over the head with it. A song like Helen Reddy’s “I Am
\nWoman” annoys me to no end because it force-feeds a message. When
\nyou can work political\/social messages in while keeping the focus
\non the music, it’s a win-win situation.<\/p>\n

Listening to Tapestry<\/i> was a pleasure. It did
\nnot challenge the boundaries of what we consider music and it
\nwasn’t the most exploratory album I’ve heard. But it is a testament
\nto how good the singer\/songwriter genre can sound and to pop
\ncraftsmanship.<\/p>\n

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