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Wrap Around Joy

Carole King - Wrap Around Joy Audio CD

A fair review of the Carole King "Wrap Around Joy" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Carole King reviews here, or go back to the Carole King tabs.

Band: Carole King
Title: Wrap Around Joy
Rating:

Release Date: 1991-03-01
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Nightingale 2: Change in Mind, Change of Heart 3: Jazzman 4: You Go Your Way, I'll Go Mine 5: You're Something New 6: We Are All in This Together 7: Wrap Around Joy 8: You Gentle Me 9: My Lovin' Eyes 10: Sweet Adonis 11: Night This Side of Dying 12: Best Is Yet to Come

Wrap around overproduction
I've been pleased with much of Carole King's work, notably Tapestry, which deserves its enormous success. I'm at a loss to explain the five star ratings for Wrap Around Joy. I've also enjoyed some of her lesser-known albums: One To One, Simple Things, Rhymes & Reasons. Those albums weren't wall-to-wall greatness, but had many special songs and qualities.

Wrap Around Joy, by contrast, falls short. Probably it is the songs themselves. I don't find a lot of poetry in them. They certainly sound like Carole King melodies, with Carole King chord progressions, and Carole's singing and keyboard playing do not depart from her other early 1970s albums. Jazzman is a nice, sweet, commercial radio song. I like Nightengale, too. Overall, the lyrics seem a little trite and forced. Maybe this is reinforced by the full production of gospel-like choruses, brass, saxophones, etc. As if being tarted up will mask the tired-sounding underlying material.

It's not bad, by any means, especially for casual listening. However, none of the songs on Wrap Around Joy move me as much as You've Got a Friend, So Far Away, or even the short and snappy Bitter With The Sweet from Rhymes & Reasons. This album sounds like Carole King wrote it to fulfill a contract, to feed the hit-making machine that she had become 35 years ago. Being the professional that she is, she could turn out an album-full of competent compositions. Competent, but not special, not magical as some of her other output. I would advise casual fans to pass on this. At the very least, I would judge it a non-essential part of King's catalog. .

The " Mistress of Melody" At Her Musical Best
Ofcourse "Tapestry" from 1971 seems to overshadow everything else that she has done for some people. I have much enjoyed Carole's music over the years. That's because it was such a huge success, with 15 weeks at #1 and staying on the charts for 5 - 6 years. Worldwide sales now stand at 24 million! But several of her albums/cds are just as good if you really give them a listen. "Wrap Around Joy" is top-notch from start to finish. More instruments are added into the mix on this one giving it a more polished feel. And musically it all sounds great. The production doesn't take away from the songs in any way. It really only adds to it on this album. Carole has always had a way with a good melody, making the songs easy to remember. The lyrics are meaningful and down to earth. This album too went to #1 and produced 2 top ten singles. "Jazzman" just missed the top spot by making it to #2. Carole received a Grammy 'nomination' for Best Female Pop/Rock Performance for "Jazzman". Next up was "Nightingale" coming in at #9. Actually for me this whole cd plays like a greatest hits collection. Many songs sound like they should have been hit singles. "Your Something New", "My Lovin Eyes",and the shoo-bee-do-wah sounds of "You Gentle Me" are just a few of the radio friendly sounding in this bunch. One of the best songs for me is "Change In Mind,Change Of Heart",a slow beautiful ballad sung heartfelt the way Carole knows how to sing a meaningful lyric. Her songs have been done by uncountable other artists, but for me she seems to sings them the best herself in most cases. She captures something very honest and real in her delivery. "WRAP AROUND JOY" is a great listen from start to finish. One of her very best. You can also get this as a REMASTERED IMPORT on a 2 cds in one collection if you look on this site. They sound great with the updated sound. "WRAP AROUND JOY" is a very strong and solid album. Also check out "RHYMES & REASONS". Another solid 'melodic' effort from Carole King. .

As good as "Tapestry"... A very solid Carole King musical work!
This album is quite a good one too!

Please pay special attention to "Nightingale", "You're Something New", "The Best Is Yet To Come", and of course the superhit "Jazzman". Carole King may not be remembered only as a 70s Superstar for her overwhelming masterwork in "Tapestry". To be included in any 70s serious music collection, of course! .

Awesome
Find Me: How Psychic Detectives from Around the World Have Banded Together to Find Missing People Co-author of Find Me

I grew up listening to Carole, and still love her to this day! Thank you Mom for the introduction:) She is inspiring and uplifting to all:) .

"WRAP AROUND JOY": CAROLE KING'S POP-ROCK MASTERPIECE

Of course her endeavor was tremendously aided by the huge hit single, "Jazzman", with Tom Scott's memorable sax performance; but "Wrap Around Joy" has many other noteworthy songs. In 1974, while Carly and Joni were battling it out for top honors amidst the proliferation of female singer-songwriters at the time, Carole King released "Wrap Around Joy", a mostly joyful pop-rock entry into the fold, showing that she was still one of the mighty queens of the rock world.

Carole's power piano chords of the sing-along opening cut "Nightingale" (a second top ten hit for her from this album) really capture the listener's attention right from the get-go. "My Lovin' Eyes" and "You Gentle Me" are wonderful pop-rock confections, as is the title track and "You're Something New", one of my favorite Carole King start-of-love songs ever. Conversely, "You Go You're Way, I'll Go Mine" is one of the best break-up songs I've ever known.

"We Are All In This Together" is a great song of unification of the human race and is, therefore, quite an IMPORTANT message still today in this mad, mad, mad, mad world in which we live. I love the optimism of this song especially when balanced with the closing song, "The Best Is Yet To Come", which never fails to lift my spirit. Songs like these make me very grateful to Carole King for the solace her music has given my life on so many occasions. Listen and see if you don't know what I mean.

You can see a complete list of all Carole King discography, or go back to the Carole King tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.