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 enlarge | Artist: Carly Simon
Label: Hear Music
Category: Music
List Price: $18.98
Buy New: $10.99
You Save: $7.99 (42%)
New (61) Used (35) from $1.14
Rating:  66 reviews
Sales Rank: 1078
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.5 x 4.9 x 0.2
MPN: 30662
UPC: 888072306622
EAN: 0888072306622
ASIN: B0015HZAOI
Release Date: April 29, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 THIS Is The KIND OF LOVE We've Been Waiting For!! July 17, 2008
7 out of 9 found this review helpful
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).
 This Kind Of Love...Breaks my heart July 13, 2008
5 out of 13 found this review helpful
Well, I am sorry to say that unlike those who would give Carly 5 stars simply for releasing a CD I must be honest and say that this album is a major disappointment. There are only two songs on this entire CD that I find bearable. I wish that she would quit trying to be so clever in her phrasing. It really borders on cacophony at times. Carly is in her mid sixties now, but that is really no excuse for the feeble vocals throughout this CD. She told Regis Philbin that she's been taking voice lessons for the first time in her life. Well, Carly, as Simon Cowell might say to you, fire that voice teacher. Carly needs to quit trying to sing in that childish/whispery sounding high register, her mid-range to lower octave register is her strength and is most appealing. I have been a huge fan since 1972's No Secrets and have pretty much loved everything she's done up to Coming Around Again. She's just released too many self indulgent pet projects. It isn't fair to the fans. One positive about This Kind Of Love is that THANKFULLY it isn't another standards album!Carly, I appeal to you, get out of your house, off the island, lose the crutches you surround yourself with and go back into a real recording studio. Let Richard Perry produce (A REAL POP/ROCK ALBUM PLEASE!), have Paul Buckmaster arrange and bring in your old friends (Carole, Mick, Paul etc.) to contribute again.
Carly does still have it in the looks department though. She is blazing hot! As for this CD, if you are considering buying it, save yourself a few bucks and buy one of the dirt cheap used copies. I am sure the cult Carly fans out there will be quick to rate this review as being of no help. Those are the people who would give Carly five stars even if she screeched like Yoko Ono for a entire album.
kimba1959 July 9, 2008
1 out of 6 found this review helpful
As always, good music from Carly. A couple of cuts I could do without, but a very good mix.
Oldie and Goodie July 2, 2008
1 out of 8 found this review helpful
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.
Carly Simon's Journey July 2, 2008
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
The last track on this cd is one of the most beautiful, moving pieces of song I have ever experienced. Simon's
goodbye to her friend, Art Buchwald, "Too Soon To Say Goodbye" is extraordinary. I hadn't read the liner notes when I first heard it. I was doing yoga stretches. So I wasn't reading the lyrics either, and I froze as I listened. It is so simple; so hauntingly sad, and so undisguisedly difficult to sing without crying. To me, it is a marvel of generosity...the generosity of Simon's spirit...that she and Jimmy Webb, producer of this cd, didn't try to "tidy it up" for the public. My heart aches, melts, and is comforted each time I listen. My second favorite cut is Jimmy Webb's "The Last Samba". I love to watch the people I originally admired way back when as they take their journeys and make their choices. I don't have to adore everything they do; I treasure their explorations. This album continues to grow on me. She kind of had to reel me in slowly. I love the Brazilian flavor (one of my own musical personal faves), and the individual cuts grab me, each in their own time. The musicianship is glorious, as are the background vocals. I realize at this point that I will be living with all the tracks for a long time to come.
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