Information/Write-up
This 1977 album (with a nice disco-esque cover shot) was released in the midst of her phenomenally successful run on the Canadian country charts. To quote her Wikipedia page:
From October 1970 through August 1982, Carroll Baker was on the country hit charts for a total of 528 weeks. 31 consecutive singles reached the charts, 20 of them reaching Top 10, with 14 of those hitting #1, including 12 consecutive #1 hits. No one in Canadian country music has been able to top that remarkable string.
That's impressive. Since I wasn't really aware of country music in that era, I wasn't totally sure who she was. After a little research, I became really impressed with her accomplishments. If anyone else reading this is my age, and isn't 100% sure if you've seen here before...go check out the Northern Lights "Tears Are Not Enough" video, where she appears singing a line with Ronnie Hawkins.
Born in 1949 in Nova Scotia, she has been a fixture in country music since releasing her first single in 1970. She nearly packed it all in after having her first child in 1973, but was persuaded to record a few more tracks by Don Grashey. One of those songs, Ten Little Fingers, became a big big hit, and that started her dozen-year string of chart domination.
Carroll still performs periodically, but her website isn't particularly functional. You can join her group on Facebook for updates, but I haven't seen many updates there for a while (as of January 2009).
This album is a good mix of fast and slow-tempo numbers, but it strikes me as designed for maximum radio appeal. A good mix of originals and choice cover songs, including "It's My Party" and "I Can't Stop Loving You."
-Kevin McGowan
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