"The Ring Of Truth" is the latest in a series of group, duo, and solo albums by Carla Olson. After an EP and a single came the highly acclaimed Textones albums, the first of which, on A&M Records, 1984's "Midnight Mission," was re-released by Evangeline Recorded Works/UNI (UK) in October of 2001. "Midnight Mission" put Carla on the map for two reasons the songwriting thereon and the guests. When your debut album features Byrds co-founder Gene Clark, as well as Ry Cooder and Don Henley somebody's gonna notice. Plus there were two videos on MTV, international touring, rave press notices, recording sessions with John Fogerty, Don Henley, and Sky Saxon of the Seeds!
"Cedar Creek" followed and then two albums, "Through The Canyon" and "Back In Time," that gathered some 31 rare or unissued Textones tracks. Simultaneous with "Cedar Creek's" 1987 release was the duet album with Gene Clark, "So Rebellious A Lover." An album that just preceeded the "unplugged" era by about an instant. Was it Folk? Was it Country? It was acoustic. And it is a classic.
Carla next travelled to Malmo, Sweden and recorded her first solo album backed by longtime Texas cohort and Textone George Callins and Sweden's #1 Rock band Wilmer X. (This album was only released in Europe and just re-released in March of 2002.)
Back in 1983 Carla was asked to be in Bob Dylan's first video, "Sweetheart Like You." She was to mime former Rolling Stone Mick Taylor's lead guitar work. Soon Mick and Carla were going to each other's shows, hanging out, and discussing working together. The first result was the live at the Roxy Theatre album "Too Hot For Snakes" aka "Live." It was a generous rockin' mix of Carla songs, Mick songs, and an incredible extended workout of the Rolling Stones' Sway, from "Sticky Fingers." Also featured was Carla's band augmented by legendary keyboardists Barry Goldberg of Electric Flag and Ian McLagan of The Faces.
"Within An Ace" followed, also featuring Mick, and then "Reap The Whirlwind" with Mick as well as soul man Percy Sledge, Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere & The Raiders, and Swedish star Mikael Rickfors. That same year, 1994, saw the release of the Grammy nominated "Blue Night" album by Percy Sledge that included two songs Carla had written.
After taking a few years off from recording to produce other artists Carla's back with "The Ring Of Truth" a decidedly furious and loud record with Mick Taylor on 9 of the 11 tracks as well as Barry Goldberg on keyboards throughout and The Lovin' Spoonful's John Sebastian on harmonica on the Bob Dylan rarity Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?
Of special note is the 12 minute version of the Stones song Winter from Goats Head Soup wherein Mick is allowed to stretch without the time limitations that vinyl dictated. (No fade-out here!)
What else has Carla been up to? She has produced albums by actress/singer Mare Winningham, stage star Davis Gaines, jazz/pop great Phil Upchurch, 21 year old Austin, Texas guitar master Jake Andrews, LA's own Kris Wiley, and Bay Area blues champ Joe Louis Walker. She has also produced an album of traditional Christmas songs, "Xmas Blues," done in a blues vein with some 2 dozen name artists. And also there's a Bo Diddley tribute album to be released in 2002 that features blues all-stars: Otis Rush, Taj Mahal, Son Seals, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Kim Wilson, Roy Gaines, Jake Andrews, Kris Wiley, Tommy Castro, Walter Trout, Sugar Blue, Joe Louis Walker, and Eric Sardinas
