Review: Carla Olson Makes Another Move

Carla Olson
Have Harmony, Will Travel 3
Have Harmony Will Travel/BFD
4 out of 5 stars

Carla Olson first came to prominence at the helm of the Textones, one of the preeminent early Americana outfits out of L.A. in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Since then, she’s made a number of standards-setting solo albums and worked with any number of notables—among them, the late Gene Clark, with whom she recorded an exceptional series of duet albums, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, John Fogerty, Don Henley, Mick Taylor, and Percy Sledge, among them. Renowned as both a singer/songwriter, guitarist, and producer, she boasts a track record that ranks among the most impressive in all of modern rock realms, bar none. 

It’s appropriate then that she chose to revisit songs from earlier in her career—mostly classics like “Street Fighting Man,” “I Can See For Miles,” and “(Just Like) Romeo & Juliet” among them—with a host of famous names in tow, including the Hollies’ Allan Clarke, Robert Rex Waller Jr. (whose excellent new album she recently produced), the late B.J. Thomas, Eric Johnson and Gary Myrick, among them. She does an admirable job conveying the exuberance and enthusiasm these classics deserve. Olson is, after all, a rocker at heart, and she’s well suited to the task at hand.

Nevertheless, the real bonus here is the three songs recorded in concert with her one-time duet partner Gene Clark. Culled from a concert in Nashville during the summer of 1987, it finds the pair reprising three Clark classics—“Gypsy Rider,” “Del Baton” and “Set You Free This Time.” Granted, there’s more than a hint of nostalgia, but more than that, it’s a powerful tribute to a partnership that made a powerful impression on the careers of both individuals. Clark is sorely missed, but there’s ample consolation to be found in the fact that Olson still manages to make remarkable music all other own. Have Harmony, Will Travel proves the point, as the title suggests, that her efforts continue to endure.

Photo by Markus Cuff /Courtesy Carla Olson