Carolyn Franklin
Band members Related acts
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- Carolyn Franklin (aka Candy Carroll) (RIP 1988) - vocals, keyboards
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- Candy Carroll - Aretha Franklin (sister) - Erma Franklin (sister)
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Genre: soul Rating: **** (4 stars) Title: Baby Dynamite! Company: RCA Victor Catalog: LSP-4160 Year: 1969 Country/State: Memphis, Tennessee Grade (cover/record): VG+ / VG+ Comments: -- Available: 1 Catalog ID: 1764 Price: $30.00
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It's tough enough having to cope with gifted siblings, but can you imagine having been the late Carolyn Franklin? Here you are, a gifted artist, but no matter what you do, you're bound to remain in your older sister's shadow. How in the world would you ever begin to compete with Aretha Franklin (to say nothing of sister Erma Franklin)?
Like her sisters, Carolyn was raised in the church, performing as a member of her father C.L. Franklin's Detroit New Bethel Baptist Church. Following a stint at the University of Southern California where she obtained a degree in music theory, Carolyn's professional career saw her start working as a backup singer for sister Aretha. Working under the stage name Candy Carroll, in 1963 she was signed by Lloyd Price's small Detroit-based Double L label, recording a pair of instantly obscure supper-club jazz styled 45s:
-1963's 'Your Cheatin' Heart' b/w 'You've Come A Long Way From St. Louis' (Double L catalog number 725A / B) - 1964's 'Easy Living' b/w 'When I Fall In Love' (Double L catalog number 731A / B)
Dropped by Double L, over the next four years Franklin remained active in music writing ('Baby, Baby, Baby', 'Save Me', etc.), touring and recording with Aretha. Perhaps based in part on sisters Aretha and Erma's commercial successes, 1969 saw Franklin finally get her big break via a contract with RCA Victor (not a label particularly known for soul artists). Produced by Buzz Willis, "Baby Dynamite!" served as a wonderful introduction to Franklin's multiple skills. Comparisons to Aretha and Erma were only natural, and at least to my ears Carolyn came out well in the competition. Gifted with a voice that was somewhat higher and perhaps a little less versatile than her sisters (check out her performance on 'It’s True I’m Gonna Miss You'), Carolyn was still a gifted singer, with a knack for zeroing in on a song's hook. Carolyn's talents as a songwriter (something her sisters were notoriously reluctant to display) were showcased on the killer mid-tempo pieces 'I Don’t Want To Lose You' and 'Boxer'. A pleasure through and through, virtually every one of the ten songs was worth hearing, the only real misstep being a supper club rendition of 'There I Go (Se per te c’e’ soltanta quell ‘uomo)'. Personnel favorites - the self-penned 'Boxer', 'Alone' and 'More Than Ever Before'.
Probably the best of her five studio albums. In case anyone was interested, the liner notes were penned by her father, the Reverend C.L. Franklin. Always wondered how he felt about secular material like 'On A Back Street' ...
"Baby Dynamite!" track listing:
1.) Reality (Lloyd Price - Logan) - 2:38 Okay, her voice may not have had the same gravitas as Aretha, but 'Reality' demonstrated Carolyn could belt one out of the park. Nice, radio-friendly slice of up-tempo pop-soul. RCA tapped it as a single:
- 1969's 'Reality' b/w 'It's True I'm Gonna Miss You' (RCA Victor catalog number 74-0188) rating: *** stars 2.) It’s True I’m Gonna Miss You (Williams - Simpkins) - 4:10 Pretty enough ballad, but the song's heavy orchestration served to distract from Carolyn's lovely voice. She also didn't do herself any favors by stretching for those super high notes. rating: *** stars 3,) What Cha’ Gonna Do (Mosley - Armstead) - 2:35 I'm guessing the intent was to pull a page out of Aretha's catalog and inject a bit of Muscle Shoals-styled soul into the mix Nice move. rating: **** stars 4.) I Don’t Want To Lose You (Carolyn Franklin) - 2:20 Showcasing a deeper than usual vocal register, the slinky 'I Don’t Want To Lose You' was one of the album's most outright commercial tunes and the track I would have tapped as a single. rating: **** stars. 5.) Boxer (Carolyn Franklin - Hicks) - 2:35 Another nod to Memphis soul, the self-penned 'Boxer' was a wonderful tune. Melodic, radio-friendly, and funny as all, Franklin seldom sounded as impressive as this one The song was tapped as the leadoff single:
1969's ' Boxer ' b/w 'I Don't Want To Lose You' (RCA Victor catalog number 47-9734)
(side
2) Carolyn getting down and funky ! Another awesome performance that should have been tapped as a single. rating: **** stars 2.) What Now My Love (Gilbert Becaud - Pierre Delanoe - Carl Sigman) - 4:05 Chances are that if you ever heard Gilbert Becaud's original French version of the tune (entitled 'Et Maintenant' (translated as 'now what')), you'd be dumbfounded by Franklin's gritty cover. Becaud's martial paced version was almost funny. Franklin's simply oozes soul. rating: **** stars 3.) Alone (Reeder) - 2:23 Again, her voice was quite different from Aretha and Erma, but the blues-ballad sounded like something her sisters might have recorded. Nice and another personal favorite with some of the album's tasty lead guitar. rating: **** stars 4.) There I Go (Se per te c’e’ soltanta quell ‘uomo) (Stellman - Livaraghia - Specchia) - 2:31 Slinky supper club jazz-soul tune. It sounded out of place on the album, though it wasn't nearly as bad as this kind of stuff tends to be. rating: ** stars 5.) On A Back Street (Singleton - Rogers) - 2:34 Sweet, soul-drenched ballad that would have sounded right at home on an Aretha album. Another tune where you were left to wonder why RCA didn't tap it as a single. rating: **** stars 6.) More Than Ever Before (Scott - Jim Radcliffe) - 2:08 Frantic, fantastic soul dance tune. Simply too good to adequately describe. rating: **** stars
It's not particularly rare, but Franklin also released a non-LP 45 later in the year:
- 1969's 'All I Want Is To Be Your Woman' b/w 'Ain't That Groovy' RCA Victor catalog number 74-0289)
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Genre: soul Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: I'd Rather Be Lonely Company: RCA Victor Catalog: LSP-4411 Year: 1973 Country/State: Memphis, Tennessee Grade (cover/record): VG+./VG+ Comments: -- Available: 1 Catalog ID: -- Price: $30.00
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I've always had a sweet spot for Carolyn Franklin's earlier, Southern soul tinged work. She seemed comfortable with the genre and her sweet voice was well suited to the genre. Co-produced by Franklin and Wade Marcus, 1973's "I'd Rather Be Lonely" found her shifting away from that earlier sound to a more sophisticated and orchestrated approach. Exemplified by the title track and 'Sweet Naomi' there were flashes of the older Southern soul sound. Unfortunately, as exemplified by the glamour shot cover photo, RCA management seemed internt to shift Carolyn towards a more mainstream and upscale audience. That's the only reason I can think for covers of pop classics like Bread's 'Baby I'm A Want You' and James Taylor's 'Fire and Rain'.
"I'd Rather Be Lonely" track listing:
1.) Boy I Love You (Earline Franklin - Erma Franklin) - 2:38 rating: **** stars I know I'm in the minority, but there are times I think Carolyn's voice was better than sister Aretha, 'Boy I Love You' is a case in point. Listening to this one I'm taken by how honey-smooth Carolyn's voice was. Starting out with a gritty MFSB-styled vibe, she just sings the hell out of this one. My only complaint was Wade Marcus' arrangement was far too busy. This is one that would have benefited from a far starker, Stax-styled arrangement. It's still pretty fine !!! 2.) As Long As You Are There (Carolyn Franklin) - 3:44 rating: *** stars Written by Carolyn, 'As Long As You Are There' was a pretty enough ballad, but suffered from a dreaded spoken word introduction, another overwhelming Marcus arrangement and a bad case of over-singing. Aretha also recorded it for her "You" album. While I liked Aretha's lighten-up arrangement, her heavy-handed vocals were even more trying. 3.) I Won't Let You Go (Ivy Hunter) - 4:02 rating: **** stars 'I Won't Let You Go' demonstrated Carolyn was capable of handling funkier fair. This was one where she won the war with Marcus' arrangements. 4.) Darling I'd Rather (Jimmy Radcliffe - Buddy Scott) - 3:11 rating: *** stars The title track 'Darling I'd Rather' recalled her earlier, stripped down southern soul beginnings: well until Marcus' saccharine orchestration kicked in. Shame he was allowed to smoother Franklin's performance. 5.) Don't See Him Much No More - :28
(side
2) 2.) Dad - 3:29 3.)
I Want To Be With You - 3:19 5.) Sweet Naomi - 3:12 rating: **** stars My pick for the album's standout performance, 'Sweet Naomi' exhibited a breezy melody that was equal parts Sourthern soul and Gospel shoutout. Great platform for that magical voice, Shame it faded out just as Franklin was finding the groove. 6.) Baby I'm A Want You (David Gates) - 2:37 rating: ** stars Carolyn didn't embarrass herself with this Bread cover, but you had to wonder why she agreed to take it on. Her arrangement wasn't nearly as lame as the David Gates original, but her heart didn't seem in it and ultimately I just don't see the point.
Classic soul from Aretha Franklin's hip sister – and quite possibly the most unified of all the Carolyn Franklin albums for RCA! This set's got some great arrangements from Wade Marcus – who blends together strings and soul in that solid way that Arif Mardin was using with Aretha at the start of the 70s – a move away from more southern-styled soul, into a rich, mature sound that showed a whole new side of Carolyn's talents. There's some great keyboards in the mix, slinking nicely alongside the vocals – which themselves still show the Franklin family roots, packed with power and plenty of depth. Titles include "As Long As You Are There", "My Heart Sings", "Dad", "I Want To Be With You", "Boy I Love You", "As Long As You Are There", and "Darling I'd Rather" Carolyn Ann Franklin (May 13, 1944 – April 25, 1988[2]) was an American singer-songwriter. Besides her own musical success, Franklin was best known as the daughter of prominent Detroit preacher and civil rights activist C. L. Franklin and the younger sister of American singer/musician Aretha Franklin. Biography Franklin was born in Memphis, to Barbara (née Siggers) and Reverend C. L. Franklin.[3] The youngest of the minister's six children, she moved to Buffalo, New York, shortly after her birth.[4] Around 1946, the Franklin family settled in Detroit,[4] where Carolyn would begin singing at her father's New Bethel Baptist Church. Inspired by her sisters' successes in the secular music field in the early 1960s, Carolyn followed Erma and Aretha into a secular music career, first recording in 1963. Carolyn began recording for RCA Records in 1969 and remained with the label until retiring from the music industry in 1976.[4] Like Erma's, Carolyn's modest success in the industry did not match Aretha's blockbuster breakthrough in the late 1960s. While struggling to release a hit, she began to work behind the scenes as a songwriter, mainly for sister Aretha's work.[4] Aretha and Carolyn's bond led to several collaborations between the two, and Carolyn came up with several compositions that became classic hits, including "Ain't No Way", recorded in 1968.[4] The ballad single was the B-side to Aretha's #1 R&B/Top Five Pop triumph, "(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone". The song was strong enough to hit the R&B Top 10 and also went Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. Carolyn's next hit for her sister was the 1973 ballad "Angel",[4] which also featured Carolyn and eldest sister Erma Franklin in background voices advising Aretha. Aretha mentioned her sister's name in the beginning of the song in a monologue, describing how Carolyn came up with the song. Another track Carolyn contributed was 1970's "Pullin'" with Jimmy Radcliffe. Carolyn also wrote songs for Franklin's 1970 album Spirit in the Dark and her failed 1975 platter, You. Franklin retired from the music industry in 1976, though she occasionally continued to sing with Aretha. Franklin appeared as one of Aretha's background singers in the 1980 movie The Blues Brothers,[4] and was a backing vocalist on Paul King's 1987 album Joy.[5] Franklin died of metastatic breast cancer at Aretha's Scenic Court home in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, on April 25, 1988,[4] and – like other deceased family members – is interred at Detroit's historic Woodlawn Cemetery on North Woodward Avenue. Discography This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (April 2011) Baby Dynamite – 1969 Chain Reaction – 1970 The First Time I Cried – 1970 I'd Rather Be Lonely – 1973 If You Want Me – 1976[4] Sister Soul: The Best Of The RCA Years 1969–1976 – 2006
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Genre: soul Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Chain Reaction Company: RCA Victor Catalog: LSP-4317 Year: 1970 Country/State: Memphis, Tennessee Grade (cover/record): VG+./VG+ Comments: minor ring wear; cut lower right corner Available: 1 Catalog ID: 4548 Price: $25.00 Cost: $66.00
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Co-produced by Buzz Willis and Jim Radcliffe, 1970's "Chain Reaction" has always struck me as kind of a musical oddity. What makes the set curious to my ears is the fact that even though Carolyn Franklin was fairly well known as a writer (having placed several of her songs with sister Aretha Franklin), on this set she elected to return nothing but covers. Her taste in material certainly wasn't bad, reflecting a mixture of classic if little known soul and more contemporary pop. numbers As I said earlier, of the three Franklin sisters, Carolyn always struck me as having the most commercial voice and that was quite apparent on material such as her cover of Nilsson's 'Everybody's Talkin'' and 'Put A Little Love In Your Heart. On the other hand, she was at her best when tackling more soulful material, including her remakes of The Moments 'Not On the Outside' and The Masquerader's 'I Ain't Got To Love Nobody Else'. Elsewhere RCA tapped the album for a pair of singles:
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- 1970's 'Chain Reaction' b/w 'Everybody's Talkin'' (RCA Victor catalog number 74-0314) - 1970's 'You Really Didn't Mean It' b/w ' All I Want Is To Be Your Woman' (RCA Victor catalog number 74-0373)
1.) Everybody's Talkin' - 4:03 2.) Goin' In Circles - 4:00 3.) Chain Reaction - 2:52 4.) You Really Didn't Mean It - 3:31 5.) Not On the Outside - 5:00
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2) 2.) Don't Wake Me Up In the Morning Michael - 4:26 3.) I Ain't Got To Love Nobody Else - 3:30 4.) Right On! - 1:45 5.) Shattered Pride - 4:50
Sadly, only 43, Carolyn died from cancer in April 1988.
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