ONE TO ONE was Carole's first album for Atlantic in 1982 and, until now, has never been released on CD. Well someone finally got the picture and decided it was long overdue.

One of the unfortunate things to befall Carole King is that TAPESTRY has often condemned her - her later work is always judged and compared to her 1971 classic. She was in fact never allowed to grow as an artist because she hit a peak and her subsequent sales (though good!) were only a fraction of what that album sold. The reviews of her later work also reflect that, with most being favorable, but not a par with TAPESTRY. Now although her late 70's releases were in fact NOT on a par with TAPESTRY or even MUSIC or RHYMES AND REASONS, Carole did seem to regain her footing after 1980, releasing a fun retrospective of her 60's gems cowritten with Gerry Goffin, PEARLS and then this, ONE TO ONE.

AMG makes an accurate observation of ONE TO ONE, saying Carole was not trying to reinvent herself. However, her song structures and knack for writing strong melodies were very evident with this album. I think it was necessary that Carole revert back to her strengths since WELCOME HOME and TOUCH THE SKY caused her sales high to regress. Now whether this effort is to be equated with "recycling" or "formulaic" is up to you; nevertheless, she turns in some great compositions here, notably "One To One," which became a Top 20 hit on the Adult Contemporary chart, "It's A War," and the assertive "Lookin' Out For Number One." Included here as well is a song cowritten by Gerry and Louise Goffin, "Life Without Love," which actually showcased Louise's tuneful knack, something she obviously inherited. However Carole's best original songs on this album are "Golden Man," "Little Prince," and "(Love Is Like A) Boomerang," all of which harken back to her Brill Building glory days. Although ONE TO ONE only sold modestly when it was originally released, topping out at #119, I believe it deserves a second look and like the majority of Carole's other albums should be judged only in and of itself. It's hardly necessary that it be "TAPESTRY" in order to be "good."