what Frank is listening to #44 – MARY MacGREGOR – Torn Between Two Lovers – (Ariola) – 1976
This one is for Marc …
I have seen the odd Mary MacGregor album around over the years but I didn't know much about her. I just assumed she was part of the group of female singer-songwriters like Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, Carly Simon, and the great Jackie DeShannon.
She briefly returned to music in 1999.
The album is pleasant enough – MacGregor can sing – though the music is a touch bland, which is surprising given it was recorded at Muscle Shoals with a batch of seasoned session musos. Despite its appearance on the country charts and country overtones the music is stretching the term "country" pretty far. Though having said that I am consistently surprised by what appears on the country charts. The album is pretty much straight out 70s pop with the aforementioned country overtones. It's also not singer–songwriter, country or otherwise. MacGregor only co-wrote one of the tracks – the rest seem to be songs written for her for this album, mainly by Peter Yarrow (of Peter Paul & Mary fame). So rather than comparing her to the chick singer-songwriters a better comparison would probably be to early-mid 70s Olivia Newton-John or maybe Maureen McGovern.
Best Tracks:
- I Just want to Love You – a big emotive country flavoured ballad – like you'd hear Dolly or Lynn Anderson sing.
- Torn between Two Lovers – aaahhh – once I put the song on I recognized it instantly – I haven't heard it in years … a gentle ballad about a woman fucking around on her husband.
Sound:
(originally posted: 12/06/2009)
