Writer - CAROLE KING****

Spaceship Races/No Easy Way Down/Child Of Mine/Goin' Back/To Love/What Have You Got To Lose/Eventually/Raspberry Jam/Can't You Be Real/I Can't Hear You No More/Sweet Sweetheart/Up On The Roof

After more than a decade as a top songwriter Carole King finally delivers her first solo album as a singer. Writer only entered the US album chart in the wake of the monumental follow up. (US:84)

"Writer is a forgotten album in her large catalogue. It was a mixed bag in terms of covering a number of styles. The main handicap over the years has been the mix - the original vinyl album featured fuzzy vocals at times. She co-wrote eleven of the twelve tracks with Gerry Goffin, and the last with Toni Stern. Some songs may not be among her most memorable but most were very good."

"It includes a number of excellent tracks. One of the best is Eventually, which spoke of the dreams and fears of the ’60s generation as a new decade began. Raspberry Jam can best be described as a jazz waltz. Goin Back looked at the simple things in life, at a time when life was anything but simple for many people. Writer found Carole King at the beginning of her recording career. It was simple, lyrical, melodic, and underrated. It remains a comforting and enjoyable listen."

"This album showcases Carole King as a writer, but also as a performer. Some of the songs are still quite '60s-like and hippy, which delights me now. What Have You Got to Lose, Eventually, Raspberry Jam and Can't You Be Real constitute a brilliant four. Carole would do her thing more effectively on Tapestry but Writer was around first."

"Writer is a terrific album, full of the creativity and lyricism that would come into full bloom on Tapestry. I want someone to tell me who has written a more eloquent song about the hopes, and fears, of the 60s generation than Eventually."

"At 16 years old, my musical tastes are finally starting to be refined and I'm breaking away from the wasteland of today's popular music and finding interest in the music of the early founders of rock and roll. My favourite is Carole King. I don't think I have to discuss the brilliance of all the songs on Tapestry instead I'll share my thoughts on Writer. This album is, by far, Carole's most underrated album. It includes classic ballads such as No Easy Way Down, in which she finds confidence in her voice and delivers a song that deals beautifully with the ups and downs of life and relationships."