Album: Carole King, The Legendary Demos (Decca)

You might remember King from such pop classics as “You've Got A Friend”, “Natural Woman”, “It's Too Late”...

Well, they were demos once; and here they are, in all their functional glory. The drumming won't thrill you, the arrangements won't set your hair on fire. But the singing's expressive, in the way that blueprints are. They're demos. However, those of us who consider CK one of the greatest length-and-line pop songwriters ever are delighted to be indulged in this way. NC