Carole King

"It's a gray, gray gloomy day/A strange and moody blues day/Gotta get through, gotta get
through another day." So begins one of the best and most representative songs on Carole
King's troubling new album -- troubling because its spirit is uncharacteristically depressed
and uncertain. In the past, Carole has reached out to us, offering the strength of her
musical confidence and humanistic faith. On Rhymes and Reasons, the tables are... More >

The melodies retain their overall charm, but because the lyrics continue their retreat, the hooks, such as they are, never jolt the expectations. (Grade: C)