Product Review
After more than a decade of writing Top 40 hits tied to everything from dance-floor action ("The Loco-Motion") to reflections of growing listeners' concerns ("Goin' Back," "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?"), Carole King broke out as a solo singer-songwriter with 1971's Tapestry. That album served as both articulate soft rock and tasteful background sound, ultimately spending more than 300 weeks on Billboard's chart. While Love Makes the World, her return to recording after a seven-year absence, doesn't match that classic's depth, it does offer comfort to many listeners. Whether revisiting her early-'60s catalog (the terrific "Oh No Not My Baby") or plumbing adult confusion ("I Wasn't Gonna Fall in Love"), she sticks with mostly low-key, piano-led arrangements that avoid the bombast of much latter-day grown-up radio fare. One song as forthright as "It's Too Late" would've given Love more weight, but King's trademark ever-so-slight rasp hints at a sensibility that remains grounded nonetheless. --Rickey Wright