Search - Carla Thomas :: Queen Alone (Exp)

A solid recording

someone else | cleveland, ohio, usa | 05/28/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Admittedly, aside from Carla Thomas' few big singles, this album is my first real exploration of her music. Initially, I was a bit disappointed, as the album seemed to lack some of the spark and charm that is so present on her major singles. Upon repeated listening, though, I've come to really enjoy the album. The first half, while more up-tempo, is actually the weaker half. It's the back half, where Carla really starts to croon, that really showcases the album's strengths. It's moody and powerful; the vocals and horns punctuate the songs meaningfully. While Hayes and Porter were definitely the key songwriters at Stax, their contributions on this album aren't the strongest selections. Still, the album gets more enjoyable upon each subsequent listen, and each track seems to best the previous one. However, "I will always have faith in you" is hands down the high point of the album. Additionally, the bonus tracks thrown in at the end provide some previously unreleased material and some alternate takes of some of Carla's other recordings. While these may not all be smash hits, they're all fun, well done, and definitely worthy to bring out of the vaults. In essence, this is a great record, and if the first half of the album was more in line with the second half, this would be a five star purchase."