Carole King Archives - Americana One

Carole King at Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe

By Ken Paulson – Carole King performed some of her biggest hits in the relatively small confines of the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville Monday night, a memorable evening even in a city known for them.

King’s “Troubador” tour with James Taylor was an enormous success, but the remininiscing was largely scripted, with the same photos and anecdotes appearing night after night. The show at the Bluebird was as real as it gets, full of spontaneity and charm.

King shared the in-the-round with Gary Burr, Jim Photoglo and Georgia Middleman, three Nashville songwriters who offered harmonies and instrumental support, along with some impressive songs of their own.
King sang every fourth song, and others in the circle joked about the audience having to endure their material.

King opened her performance with “Chains,” a hit for the Cookies, later covered by the Beatles. It was joyous, with all four voices joining in.
Her “Up on the Roof” was stirring and may have been the evening’s highlight.

Before playing her “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” she took a few minutes to defend the Monkees’ recorded legacy. As Burr chimed in, “They had good material.”

Over the course of the evening, King performed three hit songs from her solo career – “So Far Away,” “I Feel the Earth Move” and “You’ve Got A Friend,” plus “New Year’s Day” a track from her new holiday album, written by daughter Louise Goffin and Guy Chambers.

For Burr (who toured with King), Middleman and Photoglo, it must have been like being in the line-up with Babe Ruth. All played at the top of their game.

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Jackie DeShannon: “When You Walk in the Room”

“When You Walk in the Room,” Jackie DeShannon’s first album in 11 years, is a remarkable retrospective of songs she wrote and others she made famous.
DeShannon is in the Songwriters Hall of Fame, but you have to wonder why she’s not also in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Like Carole King, she wrote songs for some of the biggest names in pop and rock music, and carved out an impressive recording career long before female singer-songwriters were commonplace.
The new album features acoustic performances of DeShannon’s finest work, including big pop hits written by others – “What the World News Now” and “Needles and Pins” – and her own versions of songs she wrote for others. The latter includes “Don’t Doubt Yourself, Babe” (recorded by the Byrds) and the title song, which was a hit for both the Searchers and Pam Tillis.
DeShannon wrote “Bette Davis Eyes” with Donna Weiss for her “New Arrangement” album, but the song was rebuilt when Kim Carnes recorded it, and it became one of the biggest hits of 1982. DeShannon wisely does the Carnes arrrangment here, although your brain will want to supply the missing handclaps.
DeShannon stills sings beautifully, and the simple instrumentation and production bring the songwriting to the fore.
“Break-A-Way,” a DeShannon song recorded by Irma Thomas and later, Tracey Ullman, is slowed down here. I’ll admit I missed the original recording’s energy, but this take puts the melody front and center.
James Taylor and Carole King were a huge touring and recording success last year as they revisited their hits on the Troubador tour. DeShannon and this new album are certainly in that league and deserve the same kind of attention.