Lesley Gore Albums (7)
What The Critics Say
Lesley Gore released her first album as a singer/songwriter, Someplace Else Now, on Motown in 1972 and reunited with Quincy Jones for the A&M label's uneven but adventurous Love Me by Name in 1975. Amazingly, three decades later, the vocalist who is visible (and superb) on the oldies circuit has put together this subtle and brilliant ten-song collection on Engine Company Records. There is only one Ellen Weston/Lesley Gore collaboration here -- they wrote the entire two aforementioned albums if memory serves -- and that final track, "We Went So High," is a quiet piano and vocal reading that is a perfect bookend to the title track that begins this very powerful and intelligent collection of music. It's the sound of her voice, absolutely, but that voice has matured in an interesting way. Gore has always been a grade-A singer, so it isn't that the vocals have improved -- they have exquisitely evolved. "Better Angels" is as pensive as "We Went So High," written by this disc's producer/engineer/arranger, Blake Morgan, and recorded for his own Burning Daylight album, also on the Engine Company imprint. It is part of the interesting fabric this team puts together. Lesley is talking here in a more adult version of adult contemporary. "You Don't Own Me" is presented in this same -- methodical and soulful -- approach, which is the trademark of these recordings. She takes her huge 1964 hit (it was her second biggest on the charts) and breathes wonderful new life into it 41 years later. "Not the First" is the only song Gore writes with no collaboration -- and stylistically it is an up, which nicely separates it from the nightclub feel of most of the disc. As Janis Ian delivered a strong statement on her Billie's Bones release, and Jackie DeShannon on her stunning You Know Me disc, this is Gore's best work outside of her hit recordings. The musicians complement her with understanding, and Lesley utilizes the platform to touch your heart with the presence of a good old friend you haven't seen in years suddenly showing up at the door. It's a welcome return, and hopefully the start of much more music from this creative artist. Yes, Michael Gore co-writes with his sister, an understated and moving "Out Here on My Own." Just a lovely album quite worthy of your time. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
'The Canvas Can Do Miracles'
Release Date 1/1/1982
Tracks 10
Label 51 West
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Lesley Gore and Quincy Jones reunite 11 years after their last of ten hit records with a who's who of industry names and faces, many included in the group photo on the inner sleeve. The music is all grade-A, but given the collective star power here, this could (and should) have been a monster comeback album. Including the Brothers Johnson on "Sometimes" was smart, but the disco beat doesn't have the charm of "I'll Be Good to You" or "Strawberry Letter 23," the Brothers' own hits. Imagine if Gore had covered one of those two songs here, or perhaps did a '70s version of "It's My Party," "Judy's Turn to Cry," or, better still, updated with a sequel to the sequel. The title track, "Love Me By Name," like "Other Lady" on side two, is good, slick adult contemporary pop, but the songs remain decent album tracks with none of the appeal that Linda Ronstadt, Helen Reddy, and Rita Coolidge were having success with -- solid pop songs that helped establish Gore's legacy years before the new divas came to town. "Immortality," with its strong hook and Motown foundation, doesn't have the authority "You Don't Own Me" displayed. "Paranoia" is fun, but the album just doesn't resonate with the Gore that fans know and love. On some tracks she sounds like Lulu backed up by the Captain & Tennille -- certainly not a bad thing for pop fans, but it isn't the Gore who, when performing live, still packs a punch. That she and brother Michael Gore have had success as songwriters is another question mark here. The talent, the connections, and the fan base are all in order, but the album -- despite the "class reunion" feel to it all, tries too hard. A disc jockey on an open-minded, middle-of-the-road station could play "Along the Way" or the dramatic "Give It to Me Sweet Thing" and listeners would probably stay tuned. Tom Scott's intuitive saxophone on "Give It to Me Sweet Thing" is some of his best work on someone else's disc. The song is very artsy adult contemporary; intelligent music that's superbly produced. It's the most commercial moment on a good record that could have been so much more. Trading in "Don't Stop Me Now" for a slow cabaret version of "Maybe I Know" or "California Nights" (her 11th hit, which Jones did not produce), the way Neil Sedaka paid tribute to his past with the sublime update of "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," would have helped the audience grasp this impressive outing. The reprise of "Love Me By Name" also works. Selling this at her shows would be a boon for those who follow Gore, but the intent of the album was to bring her back to the limelight, and Jones missed out here. A Jackson Five cover, say "Maybe Tomorrow," "ABC," or I'll Be There the way Isaac Hayes beautifully tortured "Never Can Say Goodbye" -- now that would have been something on an album too original for its own good. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
After a commercial decline and an prolonged absence from the pop music scene, Gore re-surfaced at Motown's MoWest subsidiary with this foray into the singer/songwriter genre. Writing most of her own songs (usually in tandem with Ellen Weston), Gore doesn't quite hit the target, but not for want of trying. The primary problem was that, despite uniformily fine performances, the material was not as attuned to her audience as her '60s work. It's hard to tell if Gore lost her audience or if they merely grew up and moved on. ~ John Lowe, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Lesley Gore's fifth album (not counting her first greatest-hits collection) was her last fairly strong non-greatest-hits LP, and the last to feature a reasonable standard of material. Only the title cut was a significant hit, and not a huge one at that (stalling outside of the Top 30). As usual, there were a number of goodies for fans inclined to dig beyond the 45s of this very singles-oriented artist. "Before and After" was a nice Van McCoy ballad that had already been a big hit for Chad & Jeremy, and several numbers had a nice Phil Spector-like production with somewhat more pop-oriented material and vocals than Spector favored, like "What's a Girl Supposed to Do?," "I Cannot Hope for Anyone" (previously done in French by Françoise Hardy as "Je N'Attends Plus Personne"), and "Baby That's Me." The Spector-esque touches on the final two songs are unsurprising given the production by frequent Spector associate Jack Nitzsche, who really pulled out all the son-of-Spector stops for "What Am I Gonna Do With You," which sounds like a Ronettes or Crystals track with Gore vocals. Everything else is outclassed by the deviously playful "You Didn't Look Around," which has catchy hooks and an assertively melodramatic vocal on par with Gore's best hits. Her vocal performance on that song and some others, too, indicated that she really was making some strides as a singer into more mature and full phrasing, though she faltered as always when she went into straight adult pop (on "The Things We Did Last Summer"). This is actually a fairly good album in sum, and not all of the good songs show up on It's My Party: The Mercury Anthology (though they're all on the It's My Party! box set on Bear Family), making it a desirable acquisition for Gore fans. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Lesley Gore's third album, like all her early LPs, did her image no favors with a title that plugged into her frivolous teenage image. As a record, though, it wasn't all that bad, though it suffered from lacking any big hits other than "That's the Way Boys Are," and was an inconsistent mix without any hidden nuggets. As usual, her attempts at straight pop ballads ("Something Wonderful") were dreary and there was some extremely lightweight filler ("Danny"). On the brighter side, "I'll Make It Up to You" and "It's Gotta Be You" weren't bad uptown pop-girl group tunes; "That's the Way the Ball Bounces," co-written by Marvin Hamlisch, was a pretty melodic, sensual ballad with nifty production touches like reverbed guitar and percussion tinkles; and "I Don't Wanna Be a Loser" (which just made the Top 40) and "Don't Call Me" were downright excellent tense and soulful numbers that gave vent to her underrated anguished and angry side. The album also included her first efforts as a composer: the mediocre, generic pop-rocker "Leave Me Alone" and the quite groovy "I'm Coolin', No Foolin'" (which she co-penned), which has some captivating minor-keyed melodic hooks. Like her second album, Lesley Gore Sings of Mixed-Up Hearts, this actually has some pretty good non-hits that few general rock listeners are aware of, some in a moodier vein than she's given credit for. And as with that second album, the best cuts are on It's My Party: The Mercury Anthology, which makes hunting for the original LP unnecessary for all but the diehards. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
'Sings of Mixed-Up Hearts'
Release Date 1/1/1963
Tracks 12
Label Mercury
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Lesley Gore's second album was far better than her crying-concept album debut (I'll Cry If I Want To), and in fact above average for a 1963 pop/rock album, though not excellent. For one thing, the silly notion of building a concept album around self-pitying songs was thrown out. For another, it had three big hits: the excellent girl group smash "She's a Fool," the classic early feminist anthem "You Don't Own Me," and the jovial "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows," though the latter song wouldn't make the charts as a single until it was recycled almost a couple of years later. There were a number of other good tunes, though, that remain known almost exclusively to the relatively small band of listeners who have heard material by Gore aside from her big hits. "If That's the Way You Want It" and "Run, Bobby, Run" were both good moody girl group ditties with Quincy Jones' trademark hard-swinging, sophisticated production, both of them bringing out the slight aggressiveness of Gore's persona that made her singing far more attractive. "Hello Young Lover" was a pretty snazzy Paul Anka cover, one that owed as much to blaring jazz-pop as rock. Other songs were more average girl group pop, and Gore indulged her predilections for trying out adult pop ballads with pedestrian results in "Fools Rush In" and "Young and Foolish." All of the best songs, though, are on the two-CD Gore compilation It's My Party: The Mercury Anthology. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
