Carole King - Touch The Sky

Touch The Sky is the tenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Carole King, originally released in June 1979 via Capitol Records.

When Touch The Sky debuted it didn’t crack Billboard’s Top 100. This was quite a comedown for an artist whose Tapestry (1971) had helped define the era of the singer/songwriter. Some reviews have suggested that genre had simply come and gone to be replaced by the rising tide of disco, punk, and new wave. But these notions don’t account for the ongoing success of the likes of James Taylor, Carly Simon, Paul Simon, Jackson Browne, or Bob Dylan. Being out of step wasn’t and isn’t enough to explain the album’s failure.

At first listen, it certainly seems a product of its time, but more a reflection of what others were doing than cutting any new ground of its own. Publicity for the album at the time suggests the album was King’s foray into the then popular vogue of country/rock. On some tracks, that claim fits well enough. On others, the material seems workmanlike, with King skimming the surface of her capabilities.

The opening song, “Time Gone By”, is one of the best on the set. It’s pure folk/rock, commenting on what was lost after the spirit of the ‘60s had ended. King’s lyrics remember when “peace and hope and dreams were high” before the clouds became dark and selfish ego took hold. Then, King does her level best to become a country girl. Featuring the pedal-steel guitar work of Leo LeBlanc, “Dreamlike I Wander” is a simple honky-tonk cry in your beer moan about a lover who didn’t come home.

The jaunty “Walk With Me” is equally as simplistic, while “Good Mountain People”, kicking up the pace a tad, is country/rock about what you’d expect: mountain people know how to have a rocking good time.

Touch The Sky isn’t a bad album despite what some critics have said, but does feel in places you’re not really hearing Carole King but rather a songwriter playing around in a studio workshop exploring genres not really part of her own experience or background. Contemporary country performers might find the set a useful mine for material for their own acts.

Check out the tracks: “Time Gone By”; "You Still Want Her"; "Eagle"; "Walk with Me" and “Move Lightly”. 

This LP record is a Music On Vinyl reissue on 180 gram audiophile vinyl, featuring remastered audio and housed in a gatefold sleeve with a printed insert, pressed in Europe.