Bedroom Tapes [Import]

THE BEDROOM TAPES was Carly's first original studio album in 6 years, but one of the benefits of no longer being a top-level star is the fact that you could take your time with new material & that's what Carly did. Building a studio in what was once her daughter's bedroom, Carly made demos and recorded actual songs in there (some later fleshed out in a more professional atmosphere), probably to give them a certain homey feel. While the majority of the songs on here won't make anyone forget "You're So Vain" or the like, they're nevertheless among some of Carly's most intimate material, which one shouldn't expect any less.

It's no secret that Carly Simon is not a young woman anymore, so she could make her music fit accordingly. But she also invites the possibility of including a sense of humor that hasn't been keener since the "You're So Vain" days. Songs like the first single "Big Dumb Guy" (as a fervent internet addict, I can only wish I've seen some of the people she's encountered) "Actress" & "We Your Dearest Friends" are wickedly funny on a level of the recently (and sadly) departed Warren Zevon.

The truly raucous (and downright hilarious) "Big Dumb Guy" is probably the only blatant attempt Carly makes to be "with it" by using a sample, but not your average kind (Quicksilver Messenger Service's "The Hat"). However, it's tastefully done, so it doesn't come off as a crass marketing ploy. Carly's stage fright is the stuff of legend & "Actress" finds that even she can see the humor in it. "We Your Dearest Friends" is wicked even in the tribal beat that accompanies the music, and if I had friends like the singer has had, I'd prefer being lonely.

But if Carly really considers herself more of a shrinking violet, she's not so tongue-in-cheek about it on songs like "I'm Really The Kind". This song demonstrates a person who's more than all right with fading into the background (reminds me of me), and it could be a sign that Carly might actually prefer not being the commercial powerhouse she once was.

Not every song on THE BEDROOM TAPES coasts on acidic wit, though. The rather bluesy rocker "Our Affair" appears to be about a couple trying to rekindle the love in their life after a decade or two of marriage & fear of the spark dying forever. "So Many Stars" may be what happens should that affair go bust & at least one person feels regretful that it's ended.

Having survived breast cancer since her last album, "Scar" indicates that Carly may have found personal strength & courage from her struggle & that the "scar" she now bears is more a badge than an eyesore. On the flipside, "I Forget" finds Carly actually surprised yet thankful that she battled what could have been fatal & lived.

The mournful, string-driven wall-of-sound that is "Cross The River" has people Carly's age looking back to their youthful past with a rather sad smile in hoping for the days when priorities were not as necessary. But the people seem to be more comfortable just reminiscing rather than actually seizing the chance to recapture the "glory days".

"Whatever Became Of Her" is another song about the end of an affair, only this time the end might not have been so amicable. The subtle (perhaps not so) hints at domestic abuse make for a rather harrowing listen, giving the impression that was once an innocent youthful love has just been shattered by the reality of the years.

Only one weak link exists in the chain that is THE BEDROOM TAPES, and that is the closing "In Honour Of You [George]". First off, paying tribute to the wonderful genius that was George Gershwin is more than a commendable gesture, but Carly appears to have been unsure of how to do it. Her interpolation of the chorus to "Embraceable You" is rather jarring when perhaps a straight cover would have done nicely. Also the music of the song doesn't have much in common with Gershwin's style. However, the song isn't completely horrible & the fact that Carly had the decency to co-credit it to George & Ira Gershwin is a classy & reverent gesture that the duo would have been proud of.

It's been now 3 decades since Carly Simon first introduced her distinctive brand of feminine mystique to the business of pop music. Like more than a few of her contemporaries who have been lucky to continue their careers this far, she's made up for her sudden lack of commercial record-setting by continuing to create strong, respectable material that satisfies her fans new & old. THE BEDROOM TAPES is proof of this, in spite of the rather cool reception it received from critics & so-called fans. Some may call it self-serving & congratulatory, but singer-songwriters were & are mostly about confessional material, baring your soul. If that be a crime, then consider Carly happily guilty.