Barbara Keith

Barbara Keith's solo debut is sometimes confused with her 1972 Reprise album in discographies, since both releases were self-titled. This Verve 1969 release, though, is an entirely different record. It's respectable, slightly above-average late-'60s singer/songwriter music, with a strong country-rock flavor (with frequent steel guitar) on many though not all of the tracks. The best part of the LP is Keith's voice, which has a slight shake that is reminiscent of Marianne Faithfull's timbre, though Keith's range is much higher than that of the post-mid-'60s Faithfull (it's hard to imagine Faithfull hitting the highest notes in "Midnight Vow," even in her youth). The songwriting is just OK, varying from amiable mid-tempo country-rock to the gospel-tinged piano contemplation of "Walk a Little Closer." The sorrow-tinged melancholic ballads work best, like "The Ones Who Really Care" (where the similarities to some of Faithfull's work become striking), "To See the Morning Gone," and "Blue Eyed Boy." The more up-tempo "Stranger Song" has a nice happy-sad feel as well that's rather uncommon to country-rockish releases of the time. ~ Richie Unterberger