About this Artist

• Biography

Editorial Reviews

Gale Garnett's bittersweet drifter's song "We'll Sing in the Sunshine" was recorded by everyone from Eddy Arnold to Sonny & Cher, and gave this New Zealand-born folk singer her biggest hit. Although Garnett was nominally a folk artist (her first album was titled My Kind of Folk Songs), her smoky voice and personal songs didn't fit in with either the commercial folk groups or the protest folkies -- she had more in common with late-'60s singer/songwriters like Buffy Sainte-Marie and crossover artists such as Bobbie Gentry. In that sense, Garnett was ahead of her time, although that isn't necessarily apparent from her one big pop hit. We'll Sing in the Sunshine is a reissue of My Kind of Folk Songs with five bonus tracks, and includes Garnett's minor hit "Lovin' Place" and the original "Prism Song," which didn't chart but enjoyed some popularity as the flipside of "We'll Sing in the Sunshine." Garnett's most celebrated songs were her own compositions, but she wrote less than half of the tunes on My Kind of Folk Songs. The traditional folk song "Wanderin'" is a good choice of material because it, too, is a wistful rover's song like "We'll Sing in the Sunshine," but the ubiquitous "Take This Hammer" is typical early-'60s folk fare. Three of the bonus tracks -- "St. James Infirmary," "God Bless the Child" and "Excuse Me Mister" -- come from Garnett's third album, The Many Faces of Gale Garnett. The final bonus track is the single version of "We'll Sing in the Sunshine," which differs very little from the album version. Greg Adams, All Music Guide

Customer Reviews

• Listener Rating: