The Only Girl in the World
Someone recently turned me on to WFMU’s Beware of the Blog, where they have posted all of Barbara Cartland’s Album of Love Songs, which is, as you may have guessed, an album of love songs sung by Ms. Cartland.
I think the closest description I can nail is, “Based on the compliations John Waters has put out, this sounds like something he would put on a mixtape.” I realize that’s not extraordinarily helpful, but,describing an an album recorded in the 1970s by an aging romance novel maven with a penchant for rhinestones, pink hats, and dainty canines isn’t exactly easy. If you sounded like someone from the cast of Monty Python impersonating Angela Langsbury, then you might well sound like Barbara Cartland.
That being said, there’s something a bit sweet about the whole thing. She seems completely earnest, and the lush backing vocals and orchestration (Is that a harp I hear? Yes, yes it is.) really set off the extraordinary spoken introductions. If nothing else, the tracks are worth having on hand for planting in mix CDs — they’re certainly quirky enough to justify such treatment.