The other day I wandered the CD store and found myself drawn into nostalgia, mainly the singer/songwriters from the 70s. In the Pop/Rock section under "K" I came face-to-CD with Carole King's The Living Room Tour, a two CD live show of King with minimal accompaniment. It was used and cheap, so I quickly snatched it up. What a deal. What a find. Aptly titled, this show includes her signature songs along with some new and pleasant surprises.
She does a great performance of "Smackwater Jack" which has always been a favorite of mine, though I must admit Buffy Sainte-Marie does, for me, the definitive version on her I Used To Wanna Be A Ballerina CD. There's also great versions of "Sweet Seasons," "Jazzman," "I Feel The Earth Move," "Natural Woman," "Locomotion," "It’s Too Late," "You've Got a Friend," and the lovely "Now and Forever," the theme song for the film A League of Their Own.
I'm not one to watch much television, but I do find The Gilmore Girls a guilty pleasure. Its theme song is King's "Where You Lead I Will Follow" which is done as a duet with her daughter Louise Goffin. On this CD Goffin joins her mother for a rousing rendition. It's a definite highlight.
Speaking of Goffin, Gerry Goffin that is, there's a medley of their most famous tunes which includes "I'm Into Something Good," a totally fun upbeat tune. Be sure to check out Marianne Faithfull's inspired interpretation on her under-rated Kissin' Time CD. At the age of sixty-two King's voice does show its age and misses some of the higher notes, but her passion and songs more than make up for any vocal limitations.
The Living Room Tour is an intimate evening with one of pop music's legendary singer/songwriters. I highly recommend it.
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