Once Upon A Time In California＜Sunset Vinyl＞

Belinda Carlisle was the face and the voice of the sunny side of new wave rock as the lead singer with the Go-Gos, and she had a semi-secret past as a punk rock firebrand and short-time drummer with the Germs. But the real skeleton in her closet was the fact she grew up on pop radio in the 1960s and 70s, and like millions of others, she succumbed to the charms of the moody and emotive side of pop record-making with songs that fell outside the strict confines of rock & roll. This music certainly informed some of her post-Go-Gos solo recordings, and on 2025s Once Upon a Time in California, she covers ten classic tracks of the late 60s and early 70s in suitably glossy style. Carlisle sees this music as a reflection of the mellow Laurel Canyon sound that dominated music of the 1970s in the Golden State, even though most of these songs dont strictly fit that description, and the production and arrangements recall the heyday of the Wrecking Crew, when Hollywood studio musicians were adding polish and panache to many of the big hits of the day. Carlisles love of these songs is clearly sincere, and she sings them with an audible passion, though she manages not to sink into sentimental overkill, and her phrasing reveals a maturity that respects the tone of the originals while giving her personality a chance to shine through. Producer Gabe Lopez gives Carlisle fine backdrops for her performances, with the studio orchestra emulating the spirit of the originals without stooping to plagiarism. Here chestnuts like Burt Bacharachs "Anyone Who Had a Heart," the Associations "Never My Love," Jim Croces "Time in a Bottle," and Marmalades "Reflections of My Life" pull at the heartstrings with nostalgic warmth while feeling just fresh enough to mark it as a 21st century work. And if loving songs like this might not have seemed hip in 1981, when Beauty and the Beat was scaling the charts, Once Upon a Time in California is a reminder of why they endure -- they were really great tunes performed with flair and conviction, and those are just the qualities Carlisle brings to her interpretations. Its a passion project that succeeds admirably. ~ Mark Deming