Carlton's debut was 1968's
With a Little Help From My Friends, a respectable if not boring effort of him playing popular songs of the time. As the guitarist for
the Crusaders, he helped to personify their commercial and fulfilling West Coast sound from 1971-1976. During the end of his tenure, it seemed like the group was limiting what he could do on his own. In many respects,
Larry Carlton renews the artist. Unlike many efforts of the time,
Carlton enlists a small, accomplished band with bassist
Abe Laboriel, drummer
Jeff Porcaro, and
Greg Mathieson on keyboards. "Room 335," an ode to the studio in L.A. where this was recorded, all but sets the stage for the style of his early solo work. "Nite Crawler," a track
Carlton originally did with
the Crusaders for
Free As the Wind, shows up here. In this version,
Carlton's lines replace
Wilton Felder's sax lead and this is better than original. The album's best track, the exhilarating "Rio Samba," is a more muscular take on the work
Lee Ritenour did at the time as
Carlton hits amazing notes, aided by
Mathieson's keyboard work. The last track, "(It Was) Only Yesterday" has
Carlton's inimitable style of doing a disconsolate song with the emotion of his guitar providing a catharsis.
Larry Carlton is a self-production and was a great way for
Carlton to again do solo work. ~ Jason Elias