‘Sometimes a Circle’

By Leigh E. Rich

Louise Goffin
Sometimes a Circle
DreamWorks
A-

Many likely recognize singer-songwriter Louise Goffin from the 2001 Gap commercials featuring her and mother Carole King, but make no mistake, Goffin is no newcomer to the music scene. The daughter of King and longtime partner in songwriting fame Gerry Goffin (“Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” “You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman”), the 41-year-old babe from the cradle of pop music now adds a fourth album, Sometimes a Circle, to her list of credits that dates back to the 1970s.

Though she, like her parents, has written songs for others, Sometimes a Circle highlights Goffin’s versatility as a writer and a singer. While the title track plays well as the album’s radio single, Goffin uses several of the songs to take listeners through nearly every music genre to which she has attuned her ear (and hand) in the past three decades.

The tinny “Instant Photo,” despite its awkward lyrics about the “rat race,” conjures a bluegrass flavor, while “I Can’t Remember Why” instantly transports with its modern KBCO style. And “What If I Were Talking to Me” could very well be a Fiona Apple hit with its haunting vocals and piano élan.

Then there are the tributes to King’s era: “Light in Your Eyes” delights in its ’70s, Austin Powers-like anxious piano beats and sweet lyrics, and “Sleep With Me Instead” uses an octagon that resuscitates Patsy Cline and Petula Clark. Goffin also earns kudos for “What a Waste of a Perfectly Good Hotel Room.” The song itself doesn’t spark much interest, but its title and trumpet cameos throughout deserve mention. 

Rich, L. E. (2002, February 20). Louise Goffin: ‘Sometimes a Circle.’ CU-Denver Advocate.