Tapestry Revisited: A Tribute to Carole King

Performer: Various Artists
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Producers include: Nigel Lowis, David Foster, Keith Thomas, Curtis Stigers, Stewart Lerman. Engineers include: Rich Lowe, Dave Reitzas, Bill Whittington. What better way to hone in on Carole King's songwriting mastery than to get perfomers and songwriters of all ages, sounds and sizes to tackle her timeless material. TAPESTRY REVISITED brings together Rod Stewart with Amy Grant, Richard Marx with the Bee Gees, Blessid Union Of Souls with Faith Hill; and all tap into the melodic finesse and finely crafted lyrics that elevated Carole King into the songwriters' pantheon. TAPESTRY REVISITED reminds us how long King's songs have influenced her peers. The Bee Gees' masterful glide through "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" refreshes the memory of King's emergence into the pop world as a member of the Brill Building songwriting pack. Richard Marx's loving rendition of "Beautiful" illustrates the mark King left on the new generation of writers, and Eternal's luxurious version of "I Feel The Earth Move" shows that King's music is truly timeless and capable of inspiring generations of future songsmiths. Personnel: Curtis Stigers (vocals, tenor saxophone); Richard Marx (vocals, background vocals); Cheryl Bentyne, Eliot Sloan, Eternal, Faith Hill, Delious, Janis Siegel, Alan Paul, All-4-One, Amy Grant, Rod Stewart, Aretha Franklin, Bee Gees, Tim Hauser, CeCe Winans, Celine Dion (vocals); Jeff Pence (guitar, background vocals); Michael Thompson, Bruce Gaitsch (guitar); Steuart Smith (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Larry Byrom (acoustic guitar); Dann Huff, Ira Siegel, Jerry McPherson (electric guitar); David Tronzo (slide guitar); Paul Franklin (steel guitar); Ezra Kliger (strings); Curt Benton (harmonica); Mark Douthit (saxophone); Chris Hunter, Thomas Timko (tenor saxophone); Roger Rosenberg (baritone saxophone); Gary Grant, Jerry Hey, Bill Reichenbach Jr. (horns); Keith Thomas (piano, electric piano); Danny Louis (piano, organ); Kenny Moore, Peter Oxendale, John Jarvis (piano); Robbie Kondor (keyboards, synthesizer); David Foster (keyboards); Tommy Sims (bass guitar); Eddie Hedges (drums, background vocals); Chris McHugh, Herman Matthews, Paul Leim, Frank Vilardi (drums); Joe Mardin (hi-hat); Paulinho Da Costa, Terry McMillan (percussion); Nigel Lowis (programming); Dennis Wilson , Donna McElroy, Fee Waybill, Katrina Perkins, Lance Ellington, Alex Brown, Lynn Davis , Maxi Anderson, Miriam Stockley, Ashley Cleveland, Tabitha Fair, Bridgette Bryant, Catte Adams (background vocals). Audio Mixers: David Kershenbaum; Humberto Gatica; Larry Alexander ; Michael O'Reilly; Mick Guzauski; Nigel Lowis; Steve Marcantonio; Bill Drescher; Bill Whittington. Recording information: Andora Studios; Bennett House, Franklin, TN; Chartmaker; Electric Lady Studios, New York, NY; Ligo; Sarm East Studios, England. Photographers: Lynn Goldsmith; Douglas Reed; Jasper Johal; Alan Mayor; Andy Earl; Russ Harrington; Peter Iovino; Steve Eichner; Jeff Katz; Tony Bruno. Unknown Contributor Roles: Eric Cohen; Mike Finnegan; Nashville String Machine; London Session Orchestra. Arrangers: Carl Wurtz; Richard Marx; Arif Mardin; Steve Skinner; Robbie Kondor; David Foster. Carole King's 1971 album Tapestry was one of the best-selling LPs of the early '70s and has had a lasting influence on pop singer/songwriters ever since. The idea of this tribute album was to re-create the album track-for-track using other artists. Since King had begun her career as a songwriter, with songs such as "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" hitting for other artists before turning up on Tapestry, it was an appropriate concept. Though each artist was asked to submit a finished track, there was some musical continuity in that several tracks -- "You've Got a Friend," by BeBe & CeCe Winans, featuring Aretha Franklin, "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?," by the Bee Gees, and "Smackwater Jack," by the Manhattan Transfer -- were produced by Arif Mardin, and a couple of others -- "So Far Away," by Rod Stewart, and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," by Celine Dion -- were handled by David Foster. In such a project, casting is everything, and the best versions were turned in by artists who grew up with the original album, such as Amy Grant ("It's Too Late"), Richard Marx ("Beautiful"), and Faith Hill ("Where You Lead"). Such artists achieved a reasonable compromise between the King versions and their own sound. Artists like the Bee Gees and Stewart, who were King's contemporaries, seemed to be going through the motions, and a raft of newer artists, such as Eternal, Curtis Stigers, Blessid Union of Souls, All-4-One, and Dion, seemed to be on the album because someone at their management companies thought it would be a good idea and displayed little feel for the material. But King's music has a flexibility that allows for many interpretations, and while this album could not be recommended over the original, the new performances didn't do it much harm. ~ William Ruhlmann

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