Tapestry

The success of Tapestry rests on Carole King’s voice. She was blessed with a phenomenal songwriter talent, but her voice is full of cracks, imperfections, a limited range and it sounds wonderfully human. She is not some technical whiz that can hit every note but fails to deliver the emotion – this is all about the emotion. I prefer it that way.

Her take on “(You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman” feels earthy and real, and I like it much better than Aretha Franklin’s vocal bombast. Her vocal on “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” is more subdued and wistful than the Shirelles. There is something to be said about simplicity in vocal delivery. Just look at “So Far Away” or “It’s Too Late.”

And can we talk about the songwriting for a minute? Yes, the lyrics are fantastic, but the music! What Carole King is able to accomplish with a few instruments is extraordinary. Most of the tracks are just a guitar, a piano, some drums and a bass. Every so often a few strings or a wind instrument will appear, but it’s mostly the basics and nothing sounds exactly the same. The title track even dips into psychedelic pop, or, at least, a close approximation of it. It sounds light, airy, even bordering on Californian feathery-pop textures, but the themes and emotions run deep. Sounds can be deceiving.

To say that this was a huge influence on the confessional singer-songwriter genre is to say that water is wet. To say that it is a work of supreme craftsmanship is like saying it is cold when it snows. Tapestry is one of the greatest soft-rock/pop albums of all time. Actually, it’s one of the greatest albums of all time. I know for sure that it’s one of my absolute favorites. DOWNLOAD: “(You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman”