| Fantasy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 1973 | |||
| Studio | A&M (Hollywood)[1] | |||
| Genre | Blue-eyed soul, soft rock | |||
| Length | 40:33 | |||
| Label | Ode / A&M (Original Issue) Ode / Epic (Re-issue) | |||
| Producer | Lou Adler | |||
| Carole King chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B[3] |
| Rolling Stone | (not favorable)[4] |
Fantasy is the fifth album by American singer-songwriter Carole King, released in 1973. At the time of its release, it only reached number six on the US Billboard 200 album chart, but has remained highly regarded by her fans over the ensuing decades. Presented as a sort of song cycle, the album opens and closes with two versions of the title song and the songs on each side segue directly into one another.
The Spanish language track "Corazón" (the Spanish word for "heart", also used as a term of endearment, as in this song's lyrics) was a moderate hit single from the album, as was "Believe in Humanity". The flip side of the latter single, "You Light Up My Life" (not the Debby Boone hit), charted separately from its A-side.
Record World described "Corazón" as being "mostly instrumental and highly Latin flavored" and with an "outstanding rhythm track."[5] Allmusic critic Jason Elias said that "'Corazón' has Latin intonations and King certainly doesn't embarrass herself."[2]
Record World said of the single "Believe in Humanity"/"You Light Up My Life" that "'Believe' is a fine rocking tune with great orchestrations, while 'Light Up My Life' is a gently wistful ballad."[6] Elias regarded "Believe" as being the best song on the album, saying that "all of the elements coalesce and might make listeners wish they took the harder sound and well-meaning messages even further, even for the hell of it."[2]
- ^ "A Natural Woman". Archived from the original on 2017-04-22.
- ^ a b c Elias, Jason. Fantasy at AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-02-07.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: K". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 28, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (1973-08-02). "Carole King: Fantasy: Music Review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2008-05-15.
- ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. October 13, 1973. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
- ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. July 7, 1973. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-23.