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- David Cornwall -- vocals

- none known

Genre: pop

Rating: 3 stars ***

Title:  You're My Woman

Company: Laurie

Catalog: AW #14048
Year: 1977

Country/State: US

Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+

Comments: --

Available: 1

Catalog ID: 1936

Price: $75.00

David Cornwall's a complete mystery to me.   I've poked around on the web looking for some biographical information.  He doesn't show up on Discogs, or Popsike.  There's an entry from him in Rate Your Music, but until I added these comments, there wasn't any narrative material on the artist.   

Based on the slim liner notes found on his 1977 Album World release, here's what I can tell you about the man and his 1977 album "You're My Woman".   

- Cornwall had a decent, if slightly anonymous voice.

- He seemed to have a penchant for '60s flavored MOR pop tunes.

- He didn't write any of the ten tracks.

- Sam Weatherly (who released his own Album World LP), produced, engineered, and arranged the album.

I'd love to tell you this was a lost classic tax scam release.  It wasn't.  Showcasing Cornwall's pleasant voice, most of the album was devoted to forgettable '60s and '70s MOR pop.  Tracks like 'You Are my Woman' and 'Making Love at the Pleasure Faire' weren't bad with a distinctive '60s summer of love pop-psych flavor.  Anyone who liked bands like The Association would probably enjoy most of the set.   And that made the two S. Arbuckle tunes such a surprise. 'Any Other Day' and '' shed the pop influences for hard-edged, fuzz guitar powered rockers.  These two tunes were soooooooooo different you were left to wonder if it really was the same artist.   Shame the rest of the album didn't follow the same path.  For what it's worth, in standard tax scam style, Album World managed to get the track listing all screwed up.  The sequence shown in the liner notes wasn't even close to the actual running order.

"You're My Woman" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) She Sleeps Alone  (S Roberds - M. MacLeod - H. Capp) - 2:26   rating: **** stars

So if you liked The Association-styled '60s pop there's a good chance 'She Sleeps Alone' will be palatable to your aural tastes.   A bouncy, radio-friendly pop tune, this one kind of grew on you after a couple of spins.

2.) Any Other Day   (John Stewart) - 2:58   rating: **** stars

'Any Other Day' was another slice of '60s Association-styled sunshine pop - kind of a 'Love, American Style' vibe.  It won't be for everyone, but  I like this kind of stuff, so found it quite enjoyable.   Even though the track listing showed it as the second tune, it actually showed up as the fourth tune on side two.    

3.) You Are My Woman   (D. Moore - C. Aragon) - 2:47  rating: *** stars

As you'd expect from a tax scam release, the track listing showed this as the thirds tune, but it was actually the second song.  More '60s-styled AM pop, but a bit too saccharine for anyone's good. 

4.) I Cannot Promise You Today   (R. Marlow - L De Jesus) - 2:57   rating: ** stars

Even sappier that the previous tunes, 'I Cannot Promise You Today' sounded like something a daytime television pseudo-star like John Davidson might have sung on the Dinah Shore Show.  That, or a throwaway theme song for a forgotten television show.  Yech.  

5.) Take a Little Time   (R. Joelson) - 3:00   rating: *** stars

Hum, Cornwall tries to show off his funky side ...   the result sounds like Bill Murray doing his Saturday Night Light lounge act character Nick Ocean.    The bouncy horn charts are actually quite good. 

(side 2)
1.) My Lady   (D. Rene - Kay Rene) - 2:45   rating: ** stars

Horrible pop ballad that only had one thing going for it - namely it was short.   The track listing showed this as being the first song on side two.  It was actually the last song on side one.   

2.) Getting Older   (S. Arbuckle) - 3:18   rating: **** stars

WTF ???   Having endured a side of blase, MOR pop, side two opened up with a ranging slice of feedback drenched horn rock  ...  Seriously good.  Where did this song come from and why didn't he record an album for of this stuff ?   Yeah, it was shown as the second tune, but it was actually the side two leadoff tune. 

3.) Making Love at the Pleasure Faire   (Steve Weatherly) - 3:20   rating: **** stars

With a Beatles-styled guitar figure lurking in the background and some summer of love sunshine pop moves, this one would have sounded dandy on a Mamas and the Papas album.  I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff. 

4.) MacArthur Park  (Jimmy Webb) - 3:22   rating: ** stars

Okay, even double tracking his vocal wasn't going to let him improve on Richard Harris' classic rendition.   Besides, it was only three minutes long - what happened to the extended excesses that we've come to love in Harris' arrangement.  On the other hand, he gave Bill Murray/Nick Ocean a run for their money with this lounge act rendition

5.) Gimme Some Love   (S. Arbuckle) - 2:40   rating: **** stars

The second S. Arbuckle cover, 'Gimme Some Love' offered up the album's other unexpected highlight - another first-rate hard rocker that was every bit as good as 'Getting Older'.    Shame he didn't record an album of Arbuckle covers ...