Carly Simon – Boys In The Trees (1978)
Elektra | 1978 | Rock | FLAC+CUE+MQ-Covers (300Dpi) | NO LOG | 205Mb+2Mb
Carly Simon's 1978 release "Boys in the Trees" showcases Carly in all of her incarnations: confessional singer/poet, inventive storyteller, torch singer and rock diva. Whatever your favorite Carly Simon song or approach, "Boys in the Trees" is guaranteed to please.
Of course the best known track here is "You Belong to Me," a midtempo scorcher co-written with Michael McDonald. Elsewhere a Carole King influence serves her well on "Back Down to Earth," we find her at the height of her romantic powers on the sweet ballad "You're the One," and "One Man Woman" shows her hanging loose and shining in a bluesy rock setting. These are, however, classic Carly moments. The real finds on "Boys in the Trees" are when she (pardon the pun) branches out. "Tranquillo" finds Simon in a lightly funky disco setting; the Carribean-flavored "De Bat (Fly in Me Face)" is easily her quirkiest tune with clever, comic lyrics (based on a true story of a bat falling off its radar and heading straight for Carly, making it all the funnier); and "Haunting," one of her strongest compositions ever, is a gorgeous example of high art; its lyrics are of the highest poetic order and the string-enhanced score falls somewhere between Classical and Gothic. But for those who love Carly best when she's armed with little more than an acoustic guitar and an earnest delivery, the starkly beautiful title track and the sentimental "For Old Times Sake" will surely do the trick…not to mention a cover of the Everly Brothers' "Devoted to You," a duet with her then-husband, James Taylor so priceless it makes you wish for at least a musical reconciliation of the pair.
Throughout all of the stylistic approaches, producer Arif Mardin works hard to add a slick pop sheen and still maintain all of Simon's musical personalities. Warm, witty, and virtually without error, "Boys in the Trees" is Carly Simon's finest album and one of rock's true classics.