Carole King had already written an enormous amount of pop classics by the time she began her solo career in earnest in the late ’60s. With her second album, Tapestry, King became one of the most popular and artistically successful singer-songwriters of the early ’70s. King never matched the consistent brilliance of Tapestry, yet managed to record many fine songs during the rest of the decade. A Natural Woman collects all of her finest moments over the course of two discs. Tapestry is included in its entirety, along with the highlights from her other albums, making A Natural Woman the one essential King album — apart from Tapestry itself, of course. – Stephen Thomas Erlewine