Karla Bonoff

This second album from Karla Bonoff, 1979's "Restless Nights", has her incredible knack for deeply affecting, reflective songs on full display. She does once again go heavy on the love lyrics, but they're terrific love lyrics that are winningly intimate, & dig deep–it doesn't come across as mindless, annoying musings from some teenage girl's diary (even though they do seem extremely personal). They're a lot deeper than that & they are eloquently written. Karla's vocals are simply excellent: expressive, & lending themselves perfectly to the material (imagine a mix of the timbre of Linda Ronstadt with the delivery/ mannerisms of Jackson Browne). Speaking of the material, not only is it excellent lyrically–with rich melodies, masterful use of dynamics, & crisp performances, the songs come together gracefully & organically.

The 1980s were probably the last real decade for the pop single. It was certainly the last one in which every record that made the Hot 100 was an actual vinyl single. Radio was still breaking big hits and new artists, rather than TV talent shows and the still-nascent Internet. And people still rushed to their local record store to buy what their local station was playing, rather than streaming or downloading it.