This Kind of Love | Carly Simon | THIS Is The KIND OF LOVE We've Been Waiting For!!

This Kind of Love | Carly Simon | kimba1959

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This Kind of Love

	This Kind of Love Carly Simon Hear Music, 2008 average customer review:based on 72 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

THIS Is The KIND OF LOVE We've Been Waiting For!!

I've got to admit....upon my first listen, I was less than thrilled with THIS KIND OF LOVE, Carly Simon's first album of all-new original material in eight years. Maybe it was all the advance hype, or my own (incredibly high) expectations. But then a funny thing happened...the album I heard on my second listen was not the album I heard on my first...and the album I heard on my fifth spin was not the same one as on my third. By the time I had a dozen or so listens under my belt, well, I had a whole new appreciation for THIS KIND OF LOVE. This is classic Simon, but mixed with some new grooves that enhance ~ but never overpower! ~ her trademark sound. Toss in hidden little nuances and clever treats (not to mention those instantly recognizable songwriting skills), and you have one of Simon's best albums to date...and coming from someone who's considered her his favorite female vocalist since her very first album....well, that's saying a lot! Things kick off with the instant classic that is the title track. Anchored by instrumentation that is equal parts jazz and flamenco, Simon's sultry vocals wrap around lyrics that are her's and her's alone ("Once you were just a friend of a friend at the bar/I didn't see you as my type at all/But I was stranded with no ride home/So we drove the beach road in your car"). Building to a powerful crescendo (I could do without the children's chorus), "This Kind Of Love" proves 100% that Simon is back...or, maybe, that she never really went away. Next up is the aching "Hold Out Your Heart." Parenthood has always been Simon's main priority in life, some saying to the detriment of her career. On this sweeping ballad, she shows us how tough it is to let go, be it through natural growth or a falling out. Lovely. Simply lovely. And then there's "People Say Alot", one of my two favorite cuts on TKOL. A lot of people have blasted this song as Carly trying to "rap." Nothing could be further from the truth ...the dark, ominous lyrics ("There's a little holiday in her heart/When she sees you slip up, Ahhhhh/It's like Christmas Eve just to see you trip up") NEED an edgier, almost spoken vocal; singing them in a more conventional manner would have lightened them up too much, thus de-powering the track. Add a smart arrangement and minimal instrumentation and you have Simon's most daring cut since 1980's "In Pain" off the brillant COME UPSTAIRS. "People Say Alot" showcases an artist who's still willing to stretch, not sit on past laurels...or stylings. Next is a smooth cover of son Ben's "Island." Initially a note for note take, Simon puts her own spin on things by song's end, resulting in a track that is hypnotic, relaxing and quirky, all rolled into one. Another winner! Ditto "How Can You Forget", the disc's shortest cut. Clocking in at 2:41, you want at least two more minutes of sparkling guitars, pulsating orchestration, kitchy percussion, sterling vocals and heart-tugging lyrics("All the details of your mind you would tell me through the night/After we'd made love and/The way was so open/Now you turn, your back to me/As if we'd never spoken"). KILLER! "Hola Soleil" is a bright, sunny slice of fun that shimmers out of the speakers. Once again, I could have done without the children's chorus, but Simon's lead vocal is warm and inviting. Things kick down a notch or ten on "In My Dreams." Cushioned by just acoustic piano, guitar and Aaron Heich's atmospheric alto flute, Simon's silky vocals weave in and out of the piercing lyrics ("The only time I feel at home is in my dreams/The only place I'm not alone is in my dreams"). VERY nice! Simon's take on daughter Sally's "When We're Together" is the only cut that still leaves me cold. The song has a very natural bossa nova groove to it, but here it's so amped up that the result is a vibe that almost feels forced and over the top. Far better is my other favorite cut off the album, the soulful, sublime "So Many People To Love." There's an easy grace to this track that is just intoxicating. Wade Robson's production is brilliant ~ I would LOVE to see him work with Simon again in the future! ~ with the mix just loping along in a slinky, sultry...yet sweet!...fashion. Simon's vocals are honest and unadorned (except for the little echo/reverb on the chorus, which I really dig!), while the lyrics are classic ("What's an angel gonna do/When she needs some lovin' too/I'm just askin'"). Once again, this is a great example of an artist stepping out of her comfort zone and trying something new, but not for the sake of being trendy or fashionable. If there's any justice in this world, this will be a hit single! "They Just Want You To Be There", another take on parenting, has a dramatic edge to it, while "The Last Samba" is hot, romantic and haunting. The album closes with the gut-wrenching "Sangre Dolce" and the touching "Too Soon To Say Goodbye." The former is a classic Simon story/song, sung in the third person (a rarity for Simon, which makes it all the more special and unique!) which ultimately comes across as a sad, albeit gorgeous, little mini-movie, while the latter is a touchingly hushed tribute to Art Buchwald. Some people have knocked Simon's vocal on the track, saying her voice is obviously shot. I disagree...in fact, I don't think anything could be further from the truth; she's in fine form throughout the rest of the disc, and I personally think she left the cracks in her vocal in to heighten and emphasize the song's raw emotion and honesty. A GREAT album closer! All in all, THIS KIND OF LOVE is the kind of Carly Simon release I've been waiting almost a decade for. My all-time favorite singer/SONGWRITER, Simon is someone who NEEDS to write (and shines best when relaying those stories to us), and we NEED to hear what she has to say. I sure hope rumors of a possible retirement aren't true, because to borrow from one of her other classics, "Nobody does it better." (As with all my reviews, I'm giving the album an extra half a star for including the lyrics).

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kimba1959

As always, good music from Carly. A couple of cuts I could do without, but a very good mix.

Oldie and Goodie

This Kind of Love

Some old, some newer. I haven't listened to Carly in a long time and it was very enjoyable to listen to.

reviews: 1, 2, page 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

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