1 How Long - Karla Bonoff, Williams, A
2 New World
3 Tell Me Why
4 All My Life
5 Goodbye My Friend
6 Way of the Heart
7 The Best Part of You
8 Oh Mary
9 All Walk Alone
10 Still Be Getting Over You
11 Standing Right Next to Me

From Amazon.com

Perhaps the Most Underrated Album of the 80's

 Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)

Review Comments: Karla Bonoff's career as a top notch singer-songwriter was clearly established, albeit primarily through the recordings that graced Linda Ronstadt's classic "Hasten Down the Wind" and Bonnie Raitt's breakout "Sweet Forgiveness", by the time she released "New World". As one who has been fortunate enough to see Karla live 3 different times in different venues over the past 20 years, I have long been convinced that she has few rivals in penning heart-wrenching ballads about lost loves. This, her fourth solo album has its share of her trademark ballads ("Goodbye, My Friend", "All Walk Alone" and "Oh, Mary" come to mind), but it is also the project that showed Karla's maturity and (gasp!) a bit of optimism as a songwriter. Once again, she provided terrific arrangements of soon-to-be classics, including the country-rocker "Tell Me Why" (Wynonna)and the incredibly romantic "All My Life" (Ronstadt, again, with Aaron Neville), both of which were made significant hits by others. However, as gorgeous as those songs are, what makes this album special is the uncharacteristic upbeat messages delivered by "New World" and "Nothing Love Can't Do". The latter is a bonus track on this rare version of the release in which Karla collaborates with Andrew Gold, her old Bryndle bandmate. With "New World", Karla Bonoff really shows off her craftsmanship as a gorgeous yet haunting singer, a quality pianist and guitarist (don't try those chords at home, kids!), and naturally as one of the finest pop songwriters of the 70's and 80's. The production of the album, though intentionally a bit more polished than her earlier 3 efforts, is delicious. I once heard Karla kiddingly say the reason she didn't put out more albums is that she gets writer's block for long periods. Here's hoping for the rest of us that she has less frequent bouts in the future, but in the meantime treat your ears to this incredibly underrated gem!

This album storied my first real relationship...

 Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)

Review Comments: This album storied my first real relationship and still holds deep and lasting memories and emotions from it. From "Standing Right Next To Me", which I played over and over and over again, to "Still Be Getting Over You". Wow, Karla really knows both the infinite beauty and despair that a relationship can hold.

Bonoff's original versions will capture your heart

 Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)

Review Comments: This is a wonderful CD that once again captures your emotions and pulls you into a pleasant loneliness. It is hard to beat the voice and emotion of the song originator. Her original version of "Tell Me Why" is pleasantly less country than Wynonna's. And although Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville turned "All My Life" into a nice duet, they also changed some chords and don't sound in-love like Karla's original. "Way of the Heart" tops my favorites from this CD and is especially nice with its ending blossoming into full chords of voices and instruments.

Perhaps the strongest effort by this gifted songwriter.

 Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)

Review Comments: Karla must have lost someone close to her leading up to the recording of New World. While her style is never trite, her pain is obvious but still not depressing. Songs like, New World, We All Walk Alone and Goodbye My Friend explore the sorrow of death while giving us hope for some type of afterlife. "Still Getting Over You" is classic Karla always seeming to look at the right person at the wrong time. "All of my life" should be played at every wedding for the rest of eternity as her version is more soulful and passionate than the Ronstadt/Nevell cover. Listening to Karla Bonoff is just like curling up with a good book and fans of hers know just how realistic her "stories" are. Having spent most of her career being dubbed simply as a writer, "New World" showcases her performing talents as well.