Customer Reviews

All My Life: The Best of Karla Bonoff

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I recently had the pleasure of seeing Karla Bonoff in concert, with Kenny Edwards accompanying. It was on a local college campus (Marist) and took place just a little over a week after the events of 9/11. It was a wonderful concert. Both audience and artists were a little subdued, but Karla's music was just the tonic for the still somewhat stunned listeners. Her reserved stage manner notwithstanding, she was engaging and confident in her musicianship. It was a great evening, and Karla and Kenny generously donated the proceeds to the WTC relief effort.

I purchased this "best of" package from them that night, even though I already own a number of her records in other formats. It was nice to finally get some Karla on CD. Her well-crafted intimate songs are more than just a nostalgia trip, however. In fact, only now do I fully appreciate how good they were. There were so many singer-songwriters in the 70s that it was hard to keep up. Looking back, Karla Bonoff got short shrift. There was a bit of buzz about her after Linda Ronstadt recorded three of her songs on "Hasten Down the Wind" (which was equivalent, in those days, of being announced as THE NEXT BIG THING), but that soon died down. Karla has certainly been more successful than some of her contemporaries. Superstardom eluded her, though, though considering the occupational hazards of same, it was perhaps all to the good.

Still it would be nice to see her get a bit more recognition in the annals of rock and folk history. And it would have been nice too to see a bigger crowd show up for her concert at the college. It is to be hoped that this collection will help revive interest in her work. It is a very good sampling of her best work, and I appreciate the fact that it is sequenced in a way that makes sense musically, even though it plays a bit with the chronology.

Early on, Karla Bonoff may have suffered somewhat from not having a stockpile of material for her first album. It wound up including the same three songs that had appeared on the Ronstadt record, as well as the song "Home" which Bonnie Raitt had made somewhat well known. She might have fared better with the critics and with the public if she had pulled a Joni Mitchell and recorded a first album with all new material and saved the familiar stuff for her sophomore effort. The too-busy arrangement of "Someone to Lay Down Beside Me" and some of the other tracks from the debut LP were problematic too.

But even when she was just testing her wings, Karla Bonoff showed extraordinary promise. Many people find her readings of her own material more intimate and affecting than Ronstadt's or Raitt's. That can lead to long and unproductive arguments with fans of those artists, but the understated ending of Bonoff's version of "Lose Again," for instance, resonates with this listener in a way quite different from Linda's socko-boffo performance.

Probably the only thing better than this collection would be a live recording (or studio re-recording) of some of her classics, since she sings them now with even more confidence.

The flier for the concert read, "Before Jewel and Alanis (???), there was Karla." Well, I don't know about that either. But if ploys like that get people to listen, it may be worth it. Check out this collection (or any and all of her individual releases).

Frequently, compilation CDs are an uneven offering of commercially successful tracks layered with choice cuts from the recording artist; however, Karla's Bonoff's "All My Life" CD represents her solo recording career without any such burdon--primarily because she had only one big hit!

The Top-20 hit "Personally" is included, of course, but lesser-known hits such as "Somebody's Eyes" (from the film "Footloose") and "Standing Right Next To Me" (from the film "8 Seconds") are omitted in favor of vastly superior material, such as the delicious "Someone To Lay Down Beside Me" and the heart-breaking "Goodbye My Friend"--both written by Bonoff's expert hand.

Through and through, this CD features exemplary pop music that is produced with respect for both the song and the listener. I have exposed many of my friends to Karla Bonoff's music...and they are invariably impressed. This is due to the fact that she is a termedously gifted songwriter with a smooth, expressive voice. Order this CD today! You will be grateful you did!!!

Seems like "ALL MY LIFE" is what I've waited for in an Anthology from this incredibly gifted singer/songwriter. And the title cut is among my favorites.

I got into Karla Bonoff when they released the first single, "I Can't Hold On" from her debut album and I discovered that Linda Ronstadt was a mouth piece for an excellent singer/songwriter! I have been an adoring fan since...

Within the year I was lucky enough to see her live from the first row of the balcony in a excellent auditorium with great acoustics! She's subtle, sexy, slender, and incredibly talented and yes, she plays her own guitar and even does most of her own lead licks! But what amazed me more than anything else was her strong, sensual, silky smooth vocal ablilities. Sweet and subtle and yet very powerful and emotional.

I was absolutely hypnotized by her... Unfortunately, I've never had the opportunity to see her live again but, I've managed to buy each and every one of her albums. I have also bought most of the sheet music and learned a couple of her compositions and they are the ones that the folks who listen to me play enjoy the most and request the most. I've turned many folks on to Karla.

I'm especially partial to "Home" and "The River Is Wide" and also to her most commercially successful hit, "Personally". I don't think there is a bad cut on any of her albums so how can an anthology have one either...

It's too bad that the rulers of the radio and video waves have always deligated her to the shadows of the singer who recorded one of her more familiar compositions. Once we found out where the real talent in the song "Someone To Lay Down Beside Me" and some of the other cuts that Linda Ronstadt recorded of Karla's originated...it made her a household word in my neck of the woods.

Her catalog is essential for anyone that is into the singer/songwriter movement of the 60', 70's, and 80's that included James Taylor, Carly Simon, Carole King, Dan Fogelburg, John Denver and the likes. But, anyone will be thoroughly pleased at the addition of any of Karla's offerings. If you just want to buy a taste first...this one gives you a good cross section of her work. But, most of the best she's done are still left on the studio albums previously released.

What I'm anxiously waiting for is her next tour, a live album, or a new studio album and the chance to meet and talk with her in person. I've got my fingers crossed!

Karla Bonoff has not gotten the huge media hype that many female singers have gotten, but she is as good if not better than the more famous of her genre.
I recommend this CD in particular because just about every song is a beauty. Karla is a gifted musician and lyricist. Her songs are achingly beautiful and she has a lovely, soft voice. If you are looking for a musical talent which is unspoiled by commercialism and marketing, this is the artist to look into. You will not be disappointed!

I became a Karla Bonoff fan back in the 70's when other singers, most notably Linda Rondstad and Bonnie Raitt, began recording Karla's material. I have always loved her voice and her songs; consequently, when I discovered this latest Karla CD in my favorite music store, I was very excited. I felt it was going to be a good one, and it exceeded all my expectations. Each song is memorable and you will have a difficult time deciding which are your favorites. Even though she can write and sing any type of song, ballads are her forte. Before you listen to such heart-grabbers as "Daddy's Little Girl" and "Goodbye My Friend", you should have a box of tissues handy. I could rave on and on about this CD, but the bottom line is "BUY IT". You won't be disappointed.

My music taste spands the entire spectrum. From the 400+ CD's that I keep on hand, this one easily ranks as one of my top 5 favorites of all time. The songs and arrangements are timeless----still fresh despite 20 years (for some of them). Karla's voice still retains the quality, vulnerability, sweetness, and innocence of youth. I LOVE THIS CD. I bought two -one for my car; one for my home.

I'm only 27, so I didn't grow up with this or even come to this until I was around 21, so I'm not an expert. However, after having her song 'Goodbye My Friend' played as a farewell song at a camp, and hearing it in an episode of 'The Wonder Years', I was sold. I kept that song in my head, not knowing who it was or the title, though I had a good idea. In the end, a search on the old 'Napster' for the title of that song came up with the one I was looking for. I saw the CD at Borders and bought it immediately. After reading the liner notes, she mentions that the aforementioned song was written for a cat she had that she lost. Although it's cheesy, I've always thought it was a perfect song for any wonderful pet. I hoped that when my favorite pet passed on, I'd be able to play it for him. Just yesterday, he passed, and I was lucky enough to share it with him. It's a great memory, a great song, and the entire album is great easy listening. I'll take her over Linda Ronstadt any day...

Listening to this terrific compilation, it really seems Karla Bonoff had a magic touch. Her songwriting on track after track is incredible, & her singing is beautiful & complements the material perfectly. If you have records in your collection with her name on it, but don't have any of her own recorded work, then for goodness sake this is a terrific CD to get! Granted, it's not that hard to compile a Karla compilation in the sense that, as of 1999 when this came out, she had only put out 4 solo albums, along with one album as a member of the group Bryndle (they have since released the album "House of Silence" in 2003). Her lone solo composition from Bryndle's self-titled 1995 album is here, but otherwise everything's from her solo albums. Of the 16 tracks included here, there's very little to complain about. Her greatness is on full display all over the place--the haunting "Someone To Lay Down Beside Me"; easy riding, ultra catchy tunes like "I Can't Hold On", "Baby Don't Go", "Tell My Why" (clearly superior to the carbon copy Wynonna Judd version), & "Isn't It Always Love"; & moving love ballads like "If He's Ever Near", "Lose Again", "Falling Star", "Restless Nights", & "Wild Heart of the Young". I do feel it was an unwise move to place the bouncy "Isn't It Always Love" after the mournful "Goodbye My Friend"--it's a jolting transition, & not pleasantly so, even though each of those individual tracks are great. Having "Restless Nights" & "Isn't It Always Love" simply trade places in the track listing would have helped the flow, but they're great tracks all the same. There are a couple of losers in the track listing that put the impersonal, unsatisfying version of Karla Bonoff on full display, & as far as I'm concerned, these tracks are not the REAL Karla--they feel like they come from a completely different "artist". Thankfully though, it's just two tunes. Karla admits in her liner notes that the dull, sappy "All My Life" wasn't a personal song, & that it was initially written for a movie, & it sure sounds like it. Then, there's the inescapable inclusion of "Personally", however, I give Karla thumbs up for burying this annoying hit at track 15, the second to last song on the CD. The disc ends with the traditional "The Water Is Wide" which features James Taylor--there is other essential Karla material missing that easily surpasses "The Water Is Wide"--it's okay, though, & it seems to be a fan favorite, & it's a respectable way to close the album--it's certainly a heck of a lot better than "Personally", & there's some nice accordian on it. As another reviewer pointed out, Karla did do some songs that weren't on her albums, like "Somebody's Eyes", which is a fine tune (although she didn't write it) that's on the "Footloose" soundtrack--it would have been nice to have on here in place of "All My Life". However, the lion's share of what you do get on this disc is the REAL, sincere Karla & is mostly marvelous. 7 tracks are from her 1977 self-titled debut--a handful of essential songs from her second album, 1979's "Restless Nights", are missing, but the album is still well-represented by its title track & "Baby Don't Go". If you're a big fan of the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, and Jackson Browne, you simply can't go wrong with this CD. With great sound quality, & cool liner notes including Karla's self-written comments for each track, this is a terrific CD that any fan of Karla will be delighted to have in their collections!

The only disappointing thing about this beautifully remastered CD is that it took me a year and a half to realize it had been released! As any fan of Karla Bonoff knows, her songwriting and performing reputation was made on her matchless emotional ballads of lost loves, most of which were made famous by Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt and others. Naturally, this greatest hit collection focuses on her trademark songs, such as the haunting "Someone to Lay Down Beside Me" from her first album, the wistful "Wild Heart of the Young" from her third, and the now classic and incredibly romantic "All My Life" from her last solo effort. However, it also rocks a bit with the inclusion of "Tell Me Why" (later covered by Wynonna), her first single "I Can't Hold On", "Baby Don't Go" (from "Restless Nights") and her highest charting hit "Personally" (which I'm sure drives her crazy as virtually the only song recorded by her that she DIDN'T write-and by the way perhaps the weakest song on the CD). There are also a couple of rare gems for the Karla groupies, the rich version of the traditional "The Water Is Wide" from "Restless Nights", with James Taylor on vocals and second guitar, and the angelic "Daddy's Little Girl" from the Bryndle ensemble album Karla recorded with friends and old bandmates Andrew Gold, Kenny Edwards and Wendy Waldman. If there were any justice in the music industry, Karla Bonoff would have long ago taken her place in musical annals with the likes of terrific singer/songwriters such as James Taylor and Carole King. Karla is a haunting yet gorgeous singer, an accomplished pianist and guitarist and a songwriter with few peers over the past 20 years, particularly if one focuses on quality, not just quantity. However, the cigars evidently never decided to make Karla the "flavor of the month", so she remains a best kept secret to those familiar with her. Buy this essential collection and join the club, before everyone else discovers her first!

I think this CD really does contain her Greatest songs. It is a wonderful CD. She has a beautiful voice and the lyrics are moving and inspiring. It is the perfect gift for a lover because the songs are romantic, touching and very real.