Gale Garnett - The Many Faces Of Gale Garnett (2015) [Hi-Res]

By the time of Garnett's third album, her artistry had stagnated, even as her low vocals remained impressive. There's not much difference between this and her prior two LPs, except that she seemed to be leaning ever further toward the adult vocal singer market and further away from her folk roots. That wasn't necessarily a problem, except that few of the songs here were on the level of the best tracks from her 1964 debut full-length. As on her prior 1965 LP (Lovin' Place), there seemed to be a desire to select a repertoire befitting an all-around nightclub entertainer, the program including pseudo-calypso ("Won't You Be My Lover, O"), bossa nova ("Excuse Me Mister"), orchestrated easy listening ballads, vaguely rock-tinged torch songs ("Marionette" and "Forget It"), and a sort of pop-folk-gospel (a cover of Mike Settle's "Settle Down"). Garnett couldn't blame any shortcomings on the material selected, as she actually wrote most of the songs herself. Though she did cover compositions by folk or at least pop-folk writers, she made Malvina Reynolds' "I Wish You Were Here" and Mason Williams' "Long Time Blues" sound much more like pop ballads than folk songs. Her interpretation of "St. James Infirmary" is the best (and hardest-rocking) thing here, but it's not enough to save a mediocre album. ~ Richie Unterberger