Heaven was a place at HMV Oxford Street a couple of weeks ago when Belinda Carlisle was in store to meet fans and sign copies of her latest album, Once Upon A Time In California. Guaranteed access to this event was secured by pre-ordering the album so, knowing I would be in London at the time, I made sure to secure a spot as soon as tickets became available (I opted for the album on ‘California Sunset’ vinyl). I’ve been a huge Belinda fan since the release of Heaven Is A Place On Earth and have seen her perform live a couple of times - but I was buzzing with excitement at the thought of actually getting to meet her instead of admiring her from afar.
The new album is a collection of cover songs that pay tribute to the music that shaped her childhood in Southern California and subsequent musical identity. She has been working on the album since 2017, narrowing down the long list of favorite and influential songs to the final ten tracks that best suited her voice. In an interview with Classic Pop Magazine, she said: “This collection of songs is the best representation of what I loved back then that I could think of – listening to it brings back so many memories of a time and a California that doesn’t really exist anymore. That’s not meant to sound like a bad thing, it’s just different – there was an innocence and energy back then that was unique and magical.”
The signing itself was incredibly efficient thanks to the efforts of the HMV staff. I collected my preorder along with a wristband before lining up outside - thankfully there were no showers. After being escorted to the third floor in smaller groups, we waited in line for our turn to meet the lovely Belinda, who was impeccably dressed and glowed like the California sunset on the album cover, while a staff member captured the special moment on personal phones.
The album itself is fantastic and, while the songs are covers, she infuses them with her distinctive vocals and a discernible sincerity, making them her own. Indeed, Mark Deming from All Music notes that “Carlisle's love of these songs is clearly sincere, and she sings them with an audible passion, though she manages not to sink into sentimental overkill, and her phrasing reveals a maturity that respects the tone of the originals while giving her personality a chance to shine through”. It’s a wonderful addition to my Belinda collection - and even more special because of her personal message on the cover.
The track listing and the original artists of each track:
Anyone Who Had A Heart (Dionne Warwick, 1964)
If You Could Read My Mind (Gordon Lightfoot, 1970)
One (Harry Nilsson, 1968)
Never My Love (The Association, 1967)
The Air That I Breathe (The Hollies, 1973)
Time In A Bottle (Jim Croce, 1972)
Superstar (The Carpenters, 1971)
Everybody’s Talkin’ (Harry Nilsson, 1968)
Get Together (The Youngbloods, 1967)
Reflections Of My Life (Marmalade, 1969)
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