Customer Reviews

Just a Stone's Throw Away

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Don't waste time thinking it over. This is simply one of the all-time greatly overlooked classics. If you appreciate amazing vocals in the realm of Ronstadt's pipes, McLachlan's vulnerability, with a little Etta James thrown in, then just order this. The songs are a little outdated, but they hold up incredibly well. I don't get any kickbacks for this, nor do I know Valerie Carter. I have just loved this piece of work since it was released over 20 years ago. She is phenomenal.

I have looked for this album in used record stores since I broke up with my boyfriend and he got the album collection 25 years ago. This is probably my all-time favorite album, and so I am thrilled to find it re-released on CD. Valerie Carter's music has the versatility and funk of say, Janis Joplin, and the expressive style and power of KD Lang. In my 20s, I listened over and over to the haunting "Back to Blues Some More," which still captures for me the exquisite alienation of love lost on the wrong-side of the tracks. "The Face of Appalachia" imbues bluegrass with the Blues, with some excellent 12-string work, and I am not typically a bluegrass fan. Her version of "Ooh, Ooh, Child" is sultry, funky, and sublime, and she blows it away as only Janis, or KD, or Carlie can do. She also experiments with a blues-country style, in "Cowboy Angel" and her interpretation is neither saccharine nor shallow. If you have never heard this album, it is a MUST.

I first heard of Valerie Cater with her version of Ooh Child. It was featured during the end credits of the 1979 film Over The Edge. I fell in love with it and for years wanted to find a recording of it. Having purchased the film on DVD and listening to the song again, on a whim I did the search here for Valerie's work.

To my delight, I found this CD. Upon purchasing and listening to it, I found out just how talented this lady is. Along with Ooh Child: Ringing Doorbells in the Rain and Face of Appalachia are my favorite tracks. Somehow, City Lights is sort of an odd song, not really fitting in with the feel of the rest of the tracks on the CD. But nevertheless an exceptional album.

I hope everyone will find that Lost Treasure CD they so want. With this, I know I have!

Top notch, superstar musicians, great arrangements, songs and performances. Ronstadt and Lowell George spotted a talent when they took this little bird under their wings (as did most of the L.A. music scene in the 70's). Genius songwriter/producer Maurice White is featured on two cuts here and his work with Val is much better than with the similar sounding (now born-again Christian) Denise Williams. "City Lights" is a smokin' 70's funk-jam and sounds like Earth, Wind & Fire is supporting Valerie. Love the Lowell George sounding title cut and "Cowboy Angel" is at once sexy, eerie and haunting. "Back to Blue Some More" has to be the ultimate smoky blues cafe song of all time! I wonder how the sales of this back-catalogue Sony item are? If good, maybe they'll release her excellent (produced by movie music god James Newton Howard) follow-up, "Wild Child." Here's hoping! That one also has excellent studio musicians who would sound great on CD!

I came across this album in 1978 in a budget bin. Because I always noted the musicians who backed up various artists I was taken aback by who appeared on this album. With the likes of most of the members of Earth, Wind and Fire, Poco, and Little Feat plus Linda Ronstadt, Charles Rainey, Jackson Browne, John Sebastian, Michael Utley etal I knew this work was something special. One spin on the turntable and my suspicions were confirmed. Ms. Carter put out a memorable disc here which runs the gamut of musical styles. From blues to pop to funk to the evocative sounds of "Face of Appalachia" she displays an appreciable talent. The harmonies she and Ronstadt produce on Lowell George's "Heartache" are sweeping and profound. "Oh Child" demonstrates the sweet side of her abilities and the title track is soulful and full of power. I have turned a variety of people on to this album over the years and most have found it appealing to them for one reason or another. I urge you to try it. It somehow slipped past the mainstream but deserves a wider audience.

I agree with all of the above reviews. I discovered this as an LP years ago while trying to track down everything that the late Lowell George played on, and in fact he and the rest of Little Feat are prominent here, but the vocals, arrangements and most of the material are first-rate and have held up very well. I snapped up the CD as soon as I saw it and you should, too.

This is simply my favorite album ever. You just have to hear it. I bought it originally in 1977 or '78 after seeing an ad for it in Rolling Stone listing the other musicians. This album sounds as fresh and new today as it did then. Check out Valerie Carter's vocals with Linda Ronstadt on "Winter Light" & "Dedicated to the One I Love". Do yourself the biggest favor and buy this album. You won't be sorry.

Answer: the one you're listening to at the time...they are all that special. "Stone's Throw" is a good place to start, though, if you're just finding out about this underappreciated national treasure. The other reviews covered accurately the songs and the credits, and you should gather by the enthusiasm of those reviews how unique Valerie is. I collect a lot of female vocalists, but I save playing Valerie's music for times I have time to really listen and appreciate the artistry. Like you would save a special bottle of wine.
Valerie credits Lowell George as having taught her to sing from the heart, and that she does. Most singers just sing lyrics and demonstrate pleasant voices and assorted vocal skills. Valerie, goes beyond that. She sings a song from the inside out, and she invites the listener in as well. A common thread in reviews of her singing is her incredible versatility. Within one song she will go from an endearing fragility to overwhelming, powerfully booming emotions. (You can see her intensity on the Jackson Browne DVD "Going Home".) So, yes, buy "Stone's Throw", and everything else she's put out.
For those of you who already appreciate Valerie and are working their way through her discography of CD's she's contributed to, I recommend Linda Ronstadt's "Dedicated to the One I Love". Valerie is strongly featured on harmonies (not just back ups). It's unusual in that it covers popular songs orchestrated as lullabies, but features vocal work you won't hear anywhere else. A hidden Valerie Carter treasure for sure.

One of the mist underrated albums from the 70's,Valerie Carter's " Just a Stone's Throw Away " is a welcome addition to any CD collection that also might include Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, or Carly Simon. Carter's voice is smooth as silk and her interpretive skills are to be admired, as are her skills at picking material and her own songwriting. From the opening cut, a soaring version of "Ooh Child," to the closing jazz riffs of "Back to Blue Some More" Carter explores every possible style of music while still maintaining a cohesive balance throughout. Helping out are such legends as Lowell George, Ronstadt herself, Deniece Williams, and most of Earth, Wind, And Fire,who contribute an amazing amount of funk to "City Lights." Do yourself a favor and plop this one on whenever you need to chill, relax, or even have a romantic evening. It is good enough to help you through any mood.

The stark, fragile beauty of Carter's performance of the late Lowell George's little known song, "Heartache" (see album: "Thanks, I'll Eat it Here"; his band, Little Feat), alone, makes this album worth having. One has to have lived hard and lost sufficiently in order to interpret another's despair so well... Backing vocals are simply stunning on this cut, as well. Transcendent.