J.d. King

A CD reissue of 1958 recordings, it includes four previously unreleased tracks. This is raw but beautiful country-blues, featuring the otherworldly sound of Big Joe's nine-string guitar.

1976's Thoroughbred was Carole King's last album for Lou Adler's Ode Records imprint, and it's clearly a transitional release. Change was afoot in the musical air in 1976, and while there's no hints of punk or disco on Thoroughbred–which is a good thing–King is definitely moving away from the solo piano sound of her earlier solo albums. King's thumping, percussive piano playing is still all over the album, but guitars play a more prominent role than ever before. At times, the instrumental interplay resembles that of Fleetwood Mac, particularly Waddy Wachtel's Lindsey Buckingham-like solo on "Only Love Is Real." The songs themselves are in the eclectic style of 1973's all-over-the-map FANTASY, with the country-tinged "We All Have To Be Alone" and "Ambrosia" sitting comfortably between the slinky pop of "I'd Like To Know You Better" and the soulful "Still Here Thinking of You." The album charted at US #3.