The Dodgers have made a recommendation for me of a new release – Ooh Child by the late Valerie Carter.
It’s her two albums from the 70s “Just A Stone’s Throw Away” and “Wild Child”.
I’d not heard them, so had a listen to the first one earlier. It’s an excellent production, very tasteful, superb playing from various members of the then LA scene including Jackson Browne, Lowell George and Linda Ronstadt. The trouble is, it just doesn’t have the overall
heft to make it an essential purchase. It’s just very pleasant. But I can’t question the quality of her voice, which is why she was a first choice for people like Jackson Browne as a backing singer.
And JB did compose an excellent song dedicated to her – That Girl Could Sing.
She is also supposed to be the inspiration for Steve Winwood’s Valerie. Though as the lyrics are by Will Jennings, I’m not wholly convinced about this.
I’m sure you know it, but there’s no harm in listening to it again, despite that ever so 80s production.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbKNICg-REA
However as this is a thread about Valerie Carter, it would be remiss to ignore her, so this is the opening song from Just A Stone’s Throw Away which as mentioned is also the title of the new double compilation, Ooh Child
I checked them out a while ago. I watched a documentary about her dreadful fight with drugs after her backing vocals to the LA mafia career ended and she hit some serious hard times before being literally rescued from the gutter by James Taylor who funded her rehab. As you say, pleasant but non-essential.
I remember the trailers for the (her) documentary and although I had no conscious recognition of her name, I gave the programme a miss purely on the basis of its depressing tone and subject matter.
Having listened to the clip and irrespective of the eighties production values, I think it’s fantastic. I will be signing up for the release.
Thanks for posting.
Here she is on a demo of “Heartache” with Lowell George which is gorgeous.