While
Patchwork is not
Bobbie Gentry at the peak of her powers, it's nonetheless mysterious that this would be her last album, although a few singles did follow in the 1970s. For the singer/songwriter obviously seemed to have much left to give, composing or co-composing all dozen tracks as well as producing the record herself. Like many another long-playing record in the late '60s and early '70s, it's given a quasi-concept aura via the device of half-minute "interludes" that link seven of the tracks. There doesn't seem to be a definite thematic concept at work here, however, other than quite a few of the songs being character sketches -- not that this was anything new for
Gentry. It's not among her more rootsy records, however, and is arguably too slick and heavy on the orchestration from the production end. Sometimes it sounds kind of like
Nancy Sinatra might have had that star begun writing material under the influence of her producer,
Lee Hazlewood. Sometimes it sounds a little closer to the kind of jaunty, slyly tongue-in-cheek observational style of singer/songwriters like
Harry Nilsson or
Randy Newman than it does to
Bobbie Gentry. At its most middle of the road, it seems like there might be some
Jimmy Webb worming its way into her approach as well; "Somebody Like Me" even sounds a bit like
the Fifth Dimension. None of these songs really rank among her very best (or certainly her earthiest), and it's more something to be enjoyed by committed fans than recommended as the first or second stop for someone who wants more than a best-of collection. Still, some of the charms particular to Gentry-- her husky voice, and her fusion of country, folk, and pop -- remain in force, the most serious and intimate portraits ("Beverly," "Belinda," "Lookin' In," and "Marigolds and Tangerines") being the most impressive. ~ Richie Unterberger