4. Tapestry – Carole King (Ode – 1971)
After years of brilliance writing songs in New York’s fabled Brill Building – most with partner Gerry Goffin – singer/songwriter/pianist Carole King struck out as an artist in her own right and became the face of a movement with Tapestry: her artistic declaration of independence.
Unlike Joni Mitchell who started out as a folky or Laura Nyro whose singular songs of introspection were made great hits by others but never the artist herself, Carole King was a masterful Pop songstress who could write in many styles and make them all sound authentic. She got to have her cake of stardom and eat at the table of respected crafters of song. So penetrating and ubiquitous were her songs that they were covered by men and women alike…and a lot of Black artists ranging from Billy Paul, The Isley Brothers (who covered three of them on their album Brother, Brother, Brother) and Gulf Coast instrumental quartet The Crusaders (featuring Larry Carlton on guitar) to a pairing of Donny Hathaway & Roberta Flack, and Quincy Jones (who SANG the Western story song “Smackwater Jack” as the title track of his third album for A&M Records).
New songs “I Feel The Earth Move,” “So Far Away” and “It’s Too Late” fit snugly with Carole’s interpretations of songs she wrote that were hits for others – “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” “You’ve Got a Friend” and the LP’s epic finale “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” which no-less than the Queen of Soul had already made her own – provided the soundtrack for `71/`72 making Tapestry a must have across genre lines. Click NEXT for the next album.
