Wilson Phillips Album: “California”

I was a huge Wilson Phillips fan in the late 80s / early 90s. I was horribly disappointed when they disbanded. They have beautiful voices and the harmonies are incredible. Unfortunately for them in the 90s, musical tastes gravitated towards boy bands and rap. Now that the boy band era is over, maybe there is room again for these wonderful and talented ladies.

For those who criticize them for releasing a cover album, I respectfully disagree. I think it was a masterful move for them to release a cover album filled with fun and familiar tunes. Now that they have shown that they still have a fan base, perhaps we will be seeing a CD of original work.

Although I like "Monday, Monday", for the Mamas and the Papas homage I would have preferred to have heard "California Dreamin'". It would have been amazing.

We can always ask for more, but this is a solid effort. The vocals are nice and crisp. The harmonies are excellent and we already know the lyrics to these standards. Peter Asher's arrangements are not quite up to par. Brian Wilson would have probably been a good choice to produce this one, but the vocals are what we came for and they are very good. This one is better than their last effort and not as strong as the first one. The one thing that is for sure, while we are fighting senseless wars and facing record gas prices, this is something very familiar that we can enjoy and the girls sound like they had a blast putting California together. Start the car, pop in the CD and go back in time. You'll be glad you did!

For some reason, people like to criticize Wilson Phillips more than they deserve to be criticized. Is it because they think that their musical pedigree (Brian Wilson, Marilyn Rovell, and the Mamas and the Papas) somehow made it easy for them to get a recording contract? Well, maybe it did, but once they got that contract they knew what to do with it. Besides writing exceptional pop songs, their singing and arrangements and overall musical taste infuse every second of their recordings.

Take this album for what it is: Wilson Phillips doing their own takes on some of their favorite songs. Compare it to all those awful "tribute" albums out there -- there's no comparison. Every performance is nearly perfect, and their tangents and interpretations -- when they're not being fairly faithful to the originals -- are almost always enjoyable. Stop being married to the original versions by your favorite artists. Listen to the songs as if you'd never heard them before, and then see if you might be being just a little too hypercritical.

Maybe people don't like the fact that this album sounds like it could have been recorded in the seventies, with a few songs that are a little on the electronic side ("You're No Good"). "California" is mostly acoustic when it comes to drums, it has wonderful sixties/seventies pop touches like the Mellotron, sleigh bells, maracas, etc.

This release doesn't sound like a '90s or '00s album, and thank God for that! It has some seasoned veterans playing the instruments, not the latest hotshots who will be all-but-forgotten in a few years, and you can tell the love the three women put into each performance. And, for the person who said that Brian Wilson sang off-key, no, he didn't. He sang his part for "In My Room" beautifully.

My favorite tracks are pretty much all of them, and even the "futuristic" version of "Turn! Turn! Turn!" is fascinating and fun to listen to. And I'm a huge fan of Pete Seeger and the Byrds. My top pick is Brian Wilson's "Dance Dance Dance," which is a terrific take on a classic Beach Boys' song, and it's a shame people don't dance to tunes like this any more.

Long live melody, harmony, and Wilson Phillips!

I was interested to hear how Wilson Phillips sounded in 2004. When I first heard the CD, I was not impressed. But after 2 or 3 listens, the CD grew on me and I now really appreciate the entire CD. I hear an extremely consistent set of songs and they were ordered to really tell a story. In listening to the songs, I feel that Carnie, Chynna, & Wendy are sharing pieces of their life stories. When I first heard Wilson Phillips' rendition of Go Your Own Way, I thought it was a poor choice as a lead single. But after a few listens, it has become one of my favorite tracks on the CD. This is one of my favorite remakes of this song. Although some have criticized that Wilson Phillips' rendition lack the angst in the original version, I understand what Wilson Phillips is trying to do with their version. It fits naturally in their list of songs. Rather than being in denial about the end of a relationship, Wilson Phillips' version represents the stage where a person realizes and finally accepts the loss of their lover (because he/she is already gone and things must turn, turn, turn). It is a peaceful letting go rather than angst-driven attempt to seek revenge or regain their lover. I really enjoy all the songs on this CD, but it took several listens perhaps because the themes in this album is somewhat subtle. It is a great concept CD, and Wilson Phillips should be proud of their accomplishment.

I had no idea that Wilson Phillips had decided to record again. When I saw CALIFORNIA in the record store, I was hesitant to buy it -- after all, what cover version of a song like "Turn! Turn! Turn!" could ever be as meaningful as the original? A few days later, I broke down and bought a copy. While my suspicions about cover versions were often correct, the trio's gorgeous harmonies, which "bloom forth" to stunning effect, make up for my reservations. In fact, Wilson Phillips' version of "Go Your Own Way," "Old Man," and "Doctor My Eyes" are pretty fantastic in their own right. In this era of trash pop (think Christina Aguilera) and ugly,inner-city-inspired hip-hop, Wilson Phillips and CALIFORNIA are a breath of fresh air.