So so material ruined by a chronically bad quality sound
03/01/2002
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Vocally, Carolyn Franklin was a cross between her sisters, Aretha and Erma. Her timbre was closer to Aretha's than Erma's actually. I was thinking how wonderful finally to have something of Carolyn's on CD, even if it's a whole album with three additional tracks (why three ? and not all the rest) from another album both recorded circa 1969/70 for RCA. The material isn't impeccable - most of it is rather undistinguished and unmemorable. There isn't a single track in here that would have made a smash hit. Carolyn is in fine form throughout, albeit she has a penchant for screaming - like sister Aretha - into the mike at close range thereby distorting the overall sound of the recording. Of course, that's more the fault of the recording engineer than Carolyn. To make matters worse, Ascension must have used second or third generation tapes for this CD because the sound is so horribly dense and cluttered it could have been recorded in the shed behind the studios. Don't get me wrong. I love small independent labels specialising in rare back catalogue - to them we owe much - but they should try harder to access better quality tapes to do justice to their releases. The audio quality of this CD is so chronically bad I can't in good conscience recommend it to anyone, not even Carolyn Franklin fans and that's a shame !--"
Debut Album from Aretha's Little Sister
Jack Gardner | Randolph, NJ USA | 07/10/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Recorded for RCA in the late 1960's some classic soul from the Franklin family. While Carolyn pales in comparison to Aretha, she is still a strong singer with good delivery. The voice is deeper than Aretha's and there are less vocal acrobatics. One highlight is her soulful rendition of the pop standard "There I Go""
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1