Belinda Carlisle turns back time with ‘Once Upon a Time in California’
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Belinda Carlisle’s new album turns back time with a touching tribute to the memorable melodies that graced the airwaves of Southern California during the 1960s and 1970s.
“Once Upon a Time in California” finds the 67-year-old singer infusing her own signature sound to 10 covers of her favorite arrangements that influenced her while growing up in the Golden State.
A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee as a member of the Go-Go’s, Carlisle continues to build on a successful solo career with a nostalgic journey that displays her engaging voice and highlights her unique musical style.
I have always thought of Carlisle as a Brian Wilson vision of the perfect California girl spending her summer days and nights by the shore and making your heart come all undone.
I still have my original copy of the Go-Go’s “Vacation” from 1982 on vinyl and a well-worn cassette of 1984’s “Talk Show.”
Carlisle immediately sets an inviting mood on the set opener “Anyone Who Had a Heart.” The Burt Bacharach and Hal David penned piece recorded by Dionne Warwick is a cozy canvas for Carlisle to express the desire to receive love. Carlisle’s vocals, stirring chorus and lush strings make this a standout performance.
The Association’s hit “Never My Love” gets plenty of sugary pop flavoring drizzled over the lyrics about an endless love.
Gentle orchestration navigating Carlisle’s revealing vocals soften the jagged edges of a failing relationship and emotional trauma on Gordon Lightfoot’s “If You Could Read My Mind.”
Carlisle’s dreamy vocals warmly embrace the passionate lyrics of “The Air That I Breathe” as she tenderly confesses, “Peace came upon me and it leaves me weak.”
The Youngbloods released “Get Together” on the band’s debut album in 1967. The universal message for peace and harmony is as vital now as it was then with Carlisle declaring, “Come on, people now/Smile on each other/Everybody get together/Try to love one another right now.”
Along the way, Carlisle successfully tackles more challenging numbers such as Jim Croce’s “Time in a Bottle” and Harry Nilsson’s “Everybody’s Talkin'” and “One.”
“Reflections of My Life” appropriately closes the set with Carlisle yearning for a return to familiar surroundings when proclaiming, “Take me back to my old home.”
For Carlisle fans, her latest effort proves to be a heavenly place on earth.
Clinton Rhodes is a Belle Vernon-based freelance writer.