Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bonoff's best..., October 23, 2001
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).
|
|
|
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best "Best-of" CDs you'll ever hear!, March 18, 2004
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 somngwriter with a smooth, expressive voice. Order this CD today! You will be grateful you did!!!
|
|
|
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"ALL MY LIFE" Greatest Hits (?) or Anthology...FINALLY!, August 28, 2000
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!
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
Interact With Your Music: Discover, listen to, and buy new music, all from the pages of SPIN's digital edition, free to Amazon customers.
~ Karla Bonoff
~ Karla Bonoff
~ Karla Bonoff
~ Nicolette Larson
~ J.D. Souther
by Karla Bonoff 
