I co-manage Herb Alpert and want to thank you for your piece today.  So thrilled that you enjoyed the show and were willing to spread the good word.

When Herb decided to do this tour in honor of the 60th anniversary of Whipped Cream and his 90th year on this mortal coil, he wanted it to really celebrate the music, and that feeling that his original live band and studio players captured (Note- the wrecking crew recorded on Whipped Cream), but also feel real, vibrant and current.   We all agreed to hand pick images, film clips, musicians, lighting fixtures, and even off-stage staff who would amplify his joy for this music, simple but powerful presentation, and the kindness/authenticity he insists upon with all those who surround him.  Herb shares himself up there, and along with his fantastic band, we are so glad to see the ripple effect it’s having on his fans and beyond.  I saw people checking out of the hotel next door on Sunday morning.  It was pouring rain, and yet they were all still smiling, having travelled far and wide to see this hometown show!   What a blessing…

Thanks again for your glowing endorsement, as I hope others will get to come spend time with us in the near future… XS

Alexander (Xander Smith) Wolton

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I’m Herb’s agent…glad you enjoyed the show.  I had the pleasure of experiencing the tour in different cities across the country this year and I’m pleased to report the response is always the same — happiness, joy and multiple standing ovations.  To me, this is not nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake…the songs are hits, the melodies are timeless, the archival videos are integrated perfectly to help tell the story…and maybe most importantly it’s a little welcome break from tough times.  Herb put together the revamped Tijuana Brass for 2025 and it has been the under the radar tour of the year – 39 consecutive sellouts (and counting), 36 cities and over 65,000 tickets sold.

Michael Morris

MINT Talent Group

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The fascinating story behind “The Lonely Bull” can be found in “Hollywood Eden.” The most intriguing aspect t me is that there was no ready market for this music — it was born wholly of Herb’s imagination and there was really nothing like it (unless you count those oddly popular bullfight music albums, which don’t really count). Also keep in mind that Herb got his start alongside his songwriting partner Lou Adler writing and producing Sam Cooke. Flea told me he used to see sheet music at Fairfax High with Herb’s name still on them.

Cheers,

Joel Selvin

PS: Check the composer credit on “Whipped Cream.”

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Love Herb I saw him at Vibrato right before Covid hit. His playing is still great as is his voice and he has a ton of great stories that he loves sharing. And those songs were the best and as you mentioned crossed genres. My dad started his career in Cleveland and ended up running a big distribution company,  A&M was one of the labels they handled. I remember Jerry Moss staying at our house in Cleveland before the label started selling in big numbers. When we moved to LA dad was named Head Of Sales at A&M. Whipped Cream was the largest selling record of the year in America. The Peter Whorf cover was brilliant and certainly didn’t hurt the sales.

Michael Rosenblatt

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Saw Herb & TJB at the Buffalo State Performing Arts Center back on March 28, and it was like time had stopped, and/or was irrelevant. A night filled with pure joy and rediscovery. Having Lani Hall of Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66 (who’s also Herb’s wife, I believe) come out and perform four songs mid/late set was also a treat.

I immediately went and found my Audiophile Series edition of their Greatest Hits LP, ordered the 60th anniversary picture-disc LP reissue of Whipped Cream, and then went and bought the reissue LP of Rise in a local record store since I never owned it. Pure magic.

Herb’s going back out in 2026, and I’d see him/them again in a heartbeat.

Mike Mettler

Editor, Analog Planet

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I was only 8 years old. My uncle owned a record store so we got albums early and often. With hindsight, I think my first fantasies about women probably came about thanks to the album cover art for “Whipped Cream and Other Delights.”

To this day, I still enjoy that music. To this day, every mention of this album triggers a vivid memory of the album cover.

Mark McLaughlin

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I attended Herb Albert at the Dolby on Friday night. As one of the younger members of the crowd at almost 63, it brought back sweet memories of my mom playing HATB on the family hi-fi. She loved music! Then again, she might’ve liked his dimples too, lol. What a handsome man he was, and still so charming. I could have listened to his bits (have no doubt he has tons of stories), and music all night.

I agree with you. His music has a certain optimism to it even for the slow tunes. It brought back the feeling of that era. It was impossible not to hum and bop along to the perfectly arranged songs. By the end of the night, my face hurt from smiling.

So many people don’t know the extent of the effect that Herb had on the music business/scene. He is a living legend.

I’d forgotten abou Laugh-In, and Teaberry. It evoked glimpses of my childhood that made me teary eyed. My parents both gone. My oldest sister’s favorite gum, she’s gone too. Yet somehow I felt content and fulfilled after being in his presence as he walked us all back in time.

I’m so thrilled that I finally got to see him perform, and urge anyone who grew up during that era to get a ticket, get in the car, just go! You won’t regret it.

Sincerely,

Janine Weltman

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A year ago I asked Siri to play Herb Alpert on Spotify and it brought me back to the sixties.  I had forgotten about the Teaberry Shuffle and the TJB song played when introducing contestants on the Dating Game.  The theme from Casino Royale was also a gem.  His music was simply fun.  I was in elementary school at the time and one of my best friends was Herb’s nephew, Derek.  Derek’s family lived next door to my aunt & uncle in Studio City so whenever we would visit, I would go next door to play at Derek’s house.  Uncle Herb was there once when I visited and he sat Derek, Randy and myself down and played us “We Can Fly” by the Cowsills.  Apparently their MGM contract was expiring and he was considering signing them.  I gave the record a big thumbs up but Derek & Randy were not as enthusiastic.  Oh, well.  When I ran for student office at Carpenter Avenue Elementary School in 1968, Derek was my campaign manager.  Our teacher suggested that each candidate display a poster on the side of one of the bungalow classrooms.  Derek went to A&M and had one of the techs use backdrop material to fashion a “poster” that was probably 15 feet long which covered the entire side of the building.  After Derek was asked to explain how this was a “poster,” he replied that he was not told of any size limitations at which point the teacher let out an “F-Bomb” and suggested we get lost. Rather that “get lost,” I won the election, in no small part due to Derek’s planning and execution.  Good times.  Bob Paris

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Herb often does a Q&A with the concert audience, and when I saw him backstage a couple of tours back, I told him I would have asked which band on A&M he thought should’ve been big but wasn’t. He immediately replied, “The Flying Burrito Brothers.“ How about that!

Richard Pachter

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Herb Alpert is still the only artist to hit No. 1 with an instrumental (1979’s “Rise”) and a vocal (“This Guy’s In Love With You” 1968).

Vince Welsh
DeLand, FL

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The show was incredible. Holy cow. I wasn’t sure what to expect knowing he’s 90…then he came skipping out and me and my 77 year dad got so excited we giggled.

I love the way he loves his wife…and how he gets choked up with talking about how much he loves her. Any partner should be so lucky. My dad noted that it was neat that the images on the big screens of them together were essentially re-created when she came out on stage.

His stories were so informative – I could listen to him talk about his experiences for hours. His story about his horn teacher Caruso in NY was interesting. “You are the instrument, this is just a piece of plumbing” Good stuff. His wit and ability to deliver info is spot on – he’s sharp as a tack. He is a master class in how it’s done. His label is also a master class in how it’s done. He can create social content on the fly, he knows what he wants and delivers it EVERY TIME. To be 90 and firing on all cylinders is pretty awesome. We should all be so lucky.

This one will go down in the memory books for sure.
Oh, and the Tijuana Brass band was spectacular. I mean, wow.

Jocelynn Pryor

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We saw this show in Winnipeg recently – and it was the show we didn’t know we needed.  Easily a hi-lite of the year!  The crowd here was mixed for sure, but definitely leaned into the demographic who grew up with his music.

He even brought out his adoring wife (and she was spectacular)!!!

I’d go far as to say – not only one of the best of the year, but one of THE most memorable in quite some time.

What an incredible treat to see this 90 YEAR OLD perform as though he was…at least a much younger version of many people of his vintage.

Dale Robertson

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Loved yoir review of Herb Albert and The Tijuana Brass.

I saw him in Dallas 1.5 years ago. He blew me away how vital, unbowed, still excited, etc that he is at this age.

An inspiration.

And yes, his show is like being in his living room.

Colin Boyd

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We saw Herb in May and he blew that horn in every song for the whole two hours. Videos for almost every song on the background scrim, but his video budget was helped no doubt by his being the “A” of “A&M Records.”

His stories between songs were the best.

How Jerry Moss didn’t think much of “ A Taste of Honey,” but the crowd reactions on the road were enthusiastic. Then he and the band play it for us, I roll video, and at the end the crowd is on their feet, I’m closing in on Herb’s face and his eyes are swimming in tears. He is overwhelmed, after this song, every night of this tour, by how the fans still react.
You cannot buy a better feeling than that, just being there: him enjoying us enjoying him.

Only in America.
—Emory Damron
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My wife and I saw Herb Albert last year without the Tijuana Brass.  Herb was playing with his wife Lani Hall (previously lead vocalist for Sérgio Mendes & Brasil ’66) and a small backing band.  It was a magical concert.  Herb would tell a story, play a song, tell another interesting story, play a song, etc.  I wasn’t sure at 90+ years old he still had the musical chops, but he did not disappoint.   What a discography!

Denis Konouck

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Saw him w TB 1963.   My 1st live show ever at The Greek

Art Geier

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Herb Alpert, Jerry Moss, Chris Blackwell – the most incredible music men I have ever had the privilege to meet ….understated , gracious, authentic and always about the music first.

It was my privilege as an entry level PR guy to put Lonely Bull to No:1 in NZ ..,and lucky enough to meet Herb at the A&M 20th Anniversary celebrations many years later!

Victor Stent

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When I was producing music videos back in the late 70s/80s etc., we used to use the Chaplin Stage at A&M Records, on La Brea, all the time. It was a favorite with a lot of music video production companies – the great director Wayne Isham was once the production manager there.  Herb’s office was close by and he was often there – always approachable and always gracious.

One video my partner Jim Yukich and I shot there was Jeff Beck’s “Ambitious”, in 1985. We had the conceit of people “auditioning” with Jeff and had them actually sing the song live over the track (Donny Osmond and Marilyn McCoo were standouts!). We asked Herb to make an appearance and he did, coming in right at the end.

He is, as you note so well, a class act.

Paul Flattery

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Thank you…

For your beautiful and heartfelt words about Herb. I too was there Saturday night and felt this same kind of happiness hearing all those songs and seeing a true master (and one of my main mentors in life and music) at work.

He had that entire audience in the palm of his hands—I didn’t want it to end! And all the while I’m thinking…would I be able to play like that ALL night when I’m 90? Uh, doubt it. 🙂

His life is like one of his pieces of art…he sets quite the example of how to live a creative life.

I’m so glad you wrote that piece, as this is a must-see show for as long as this sold out run lasts. Lucky for us we got in to see it!

Much love, DK.

—
Dave Koz

“Walk My Walk” went to number one!

And the media couldn’t stop talking about it. Musicians are freaking out about it. And my inbox is filling up about it.

And there’s no story here.

The truth is Breaking Rust’s AI song “Walk My Walk” sold digital singles, which are weighted artificially high in the “Billboard” chart.

Let me ask you, when was the last time you bought a digital single? Probably more recently than a wax cylinder or player piano roll, but the iTunes Store was a thing twenty-odd years ago, and is in the rearview mirror just like 8-tracks and cassettes (and if I read one more story hyping the return of cassettes…even if you can manufacture them, who has the equipment to play them?)

So “Walk My Walk” is not a hit. It does have 4,604,867 streams on Spotify, but if you think that’s a success, you’re probably a wannabe musician wondering why you can’t get paid on a thousand streams… Drives me crazy that this is common perception, Bill Maher even referenced it on Friday night, who is going to pay the artists? Spotify IS paying the artists, a ton of money, more than 60% of revenues, and the business does not scale, i.e. royalties go up with revenues, and stars are making beaucoup bucks on the service and if you own your own material you can be nobody and make bucks and if you’re streaming in quantity and signed to a major and not seeing the lion’s share of the money it’s because you have a bad deal. But nothing I or anyone else says can change public perception.

To grind dirt in your eye, have you seen the clip by Jimmy Carr about Ticketmaster? I could explain it, but it’s easier just to watch it:

You too can have a number one record on the iTunes sales chart… Doesn’t take much, a few thousand dollars at most…think of the publicity you’ll get, worth every penny! You can trumpet your status and the brain dead media will repeat it sans analysis and…

Can we all just agree that AI in music is here to stay? Can we start there? Can we acknowledge thirty years of internet/digital development?

One of my favorite stories I read this week was about how manufacturing jobs can’t come back in America and we need to focus on service jobs. That manufacturing jobs are even dying in China…automation is taking over! But everybody lamenting the aftereffects of NAFTA believes that if we can only bring manufacturing back… And it’s not only the left, but Trump too…and manufacturing has gone DOWN since he’s been in office. It’s just like this #1 AI song…the truth is overrun by distortion and paranoia, it’s completely disconnected from reality.

“What Even Is a Good Job?”

Free link: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/opinion/good-jobs-policy.html

So:

1. Rights holders should be paid by AI music companies for the scraping of their songs so the service can learn. Definitely. A no-brainer.

2. If an AI song can compete with a human-made song, kudos. That means people desire it more. And it’s not like we live in a bygone era where there are labels and gatekeepers who can make something a success, the majors can’t break ANY act, whether it be human or AI, so if an AI track is more palatable to the masses than one made by people, so be it.

3. You can write an AI song in a vacuum, with basic prompts. But there are also people writing lyrics and using AI to create songs. So… Right now there is no copyright in AI-generated songs. Should there be copyright if someone writes new lyrics and creates a song…it’s a case by case basis now, but I’d say yes. Let me see… Lil Nas X bought the beat online and created “Old Town Road”… That’s not a whole hell of a lot different. Sure, a human created that beat, but… As for vocals… Where does the problem lie…with singers being put out of business or songwriters who’ve been disenfranchised by the internet/the ability to only pull the hits. If you can write but not sing, maybe AI is a benefit.

4. Presently AI cannot create anything new. It can reconstitute what actually exists, but it cannot make a great leap forward, it cannot create “Lux.” Maybe if you create new, innovative prompts… Then AI is a tool, just like a drum machine. Then it’s an ADVANTAGE! It might help you make something that cannot be created sans AI. Both in concept and sound.

The past is never coming back. But each and every day the media and self-congratulatory ostriches are trying to return to the days of yore that weren’t so good to begin with.

The number one target is the smartphone… Thank god for the smartphone, all that information at your fingertips! Do you want to try and CALL to order something in the future, sans research? As for social media… It’s SOCIAL media, meaning people are connecting. Can it have deleterious effects? Yes, but so can TV, so can certain medications, that does not mean you throw the baby out with the bathwater.

As fort AI not being able to perform live… To a great degree, that’s true. And that should inspire acts to do something different, as opposed to performing with hard drives to click track. AI is not human, and if it can ever achieve that status it’s a LONG way off… Right now AI is about reconstituting the past to give you an answer. Which is why it has to scrape/learn from what already exists. When it comes to raw innovation, the Homo sapiens are king.

Before “Walk My Walk” there was Xania Monet’s “How Was I Supposed to Know,” with the same attendant press story about chart success… What a joke. The looky-loos have streamed the song 6,578,950 times on Spotify because they want to check it out, not because it’s a desirable hit. But people are gaming the system, for the press. They’re coming up with these AI songs, buying them from iTunes, getting radio stations to play them a few times in the middle of the night and you get the impression of success, when nothing could be further from the truth.

So please, the next time you see a story fearful of AI music…laugh at the writer/talking head. They bought the hype, there is no story there. And if they’re in the music business, like I said, we’ve had the electric guitar, the drum machine, synthesizers…they’re all tools in making great music, and you can always sit down with your acoustic and play live if you want to.

And will there be an AI live show that draws crowds? Probably, look at the success the Abba’s “Voyage” is having. As are tribute bands. But something new, cutting edge?

It can only be done with people. Who might be using AI as a tool, an instrument.

Own AI. It’s HERE!

P.S. I was on CNN last week talking about AI music, you can watch it here:  https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/11/business/video/ai-singer-music-billboard-charts-music-michael-jackson-thriller-the-lefsetz-letter-bob-lefsetz-tsi

The sixties weren’t only the Beatles and Vietnam.

I was reminded of this on Saturday night.

Who didn’t own “Whipped Cream & Other Delights”? Who didn’t like Herb Alpert? The aforementioned Beatles triumphed alongside the Southern California trumpeter, but a dividing line between the two was not there. Herb was not part of what came before and was excoriated thereafter, like Perry Como, even youngsters like Fabian and Bobby Rydell. No, we LIKED Herb Alpert and his music. It and other instrumentals sat alongside the British Invasion on Top 40 radio and these were cuts that both our parents and we could enjoy.

And I know these songs by heart, but they’ve been disconnected from the era over the ensuing decades. Saturday night, they were placed in time, and oh, what a time it was.

One of optimism.

For all the protests, the youthquake, the dissatisfaction, the sixties were a time of belief in the future. Things were good and we only wanted them to get even better. Sure, there was poverty, then again, LBJ had a campaign against it, I remember wearing my “War on Poverty” button to school.

And nostalgia for what came before was not a thing. No one wanted to return to the black and white fifties, never mind the war years before, no…we experienced a sunny explosion.

There were the colors. Bright and shiny, electric orange, pink and yellow. The sixties were an era of graphic experimentation. Everything was up for grabs, we thought we were taking a great leap forward, there were smiles on our faces.

So the funny thing about Saturday night’s show is it was definitely 2025, but none of the dissension, the disagreements, the divide of today’s’ era was extant. We were all in it together, no one cared what political party you were from, we were there first and foremost for the music, we did not expect the cultural journey to yesteryear.

You see there was a lot of video. “What’s My Line?” I’m sure a kid would be flummoxed by that title. And watching the footage of “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In”…you HAD to watch on Monday night to discuss the skits in school on Tuesday. It was a cultural requirement.

Not only the skits, but the syncs… Like the one for Clark’s Teaberry gum… God, that was a thing back then, but I didn’t remember until Saturday night when the dots were connected. This was my life, I was fully alive back then, and seemingly everybody in the audience was too, this was our life.

But not the life of the youngsters who were not in attendance. But the funny thing is I believe youngsters would have LOVED the show. Because you didn’t have to know the songs to enjoy it. That’s part of the magic of instrumental music. Also, kids have never lived in an era where instrumentals are hits. Sure, there’s EDM… But everybody knew “A Taste of Honey,” never mind “Love Is Blue” and “Java” and so many more.

So the show began with “The Lonely Bull,” my personal favorite.

And this was kind of weird, he was starting with one of his biggest hits… Most acts save them for the end of the show. But in truth, Herb has so many greats.

And his horn dominated, but there was full instrumentation from the Tijuana Brass. A cohesive sound with nothing on hard drive, this was definitely the sixties…when we thought everybody on stage could play, otherwise why be there?

And the thing about “The Lonely Bull” is it’s wistful. The music I love most creates a mood. You marinate in it. Your mind is set free. You feel fully alive, despite journeying solely in your mind.

And there was another quick song and ultimately Herb started to speak.

This was not a performance. It was more like being in Herb’s living room with him telling you the backstory of the songs and his career in between numbers. It was fascinating and edifying. And all these years later we credit Herb’s partner Jerry with steering A&M, but Herb showed how important to the partnership he was on Saturday night. He not only created the initial hits, he brought Sérgio Mendes to the label, and worked with the Carpenters and…

There was footage of Herb with all the heroes of the era, even Satchmo. You see back then it was really a club, and you were either in it or not. There were not smartphone cameras. What happened even in the great wide open was unknown by most. It was a floating party in Hollywood, and only Hollywood. And we felt it elsewhere, it was cool, if only we could be involved.

And Herb’s playing one song after another. And I’m thinking to myself…he’s ninety, can he sing “This Guy’s in Love With You”?

Not only did he sing it, he told the story of it! How he was doing a TV special and the producer thought he should sing a song… Herb was game, but his range was narrow, he needed someone who could write within it. So he called Burt Bacharach (like I said, everybody knew everybody), who was instantly in, who concocted the number with his partner Hal David. And they were in the studio, and Herb was doing a rough take, sort of talk/singing, getting ready to cut the real vocal, but when they played it back Burt said THIS IS IT, THIS IS THE ONE! Herb didn’t agree, but it was released and soon went to number one. Because it was featured in the special! That was the power of TV back in the day.

I forgot Herb covered “Love Potion No. 9.” That was the highlight of the night for me. It was originally done by the Clovers, the Searchers had the British Invasion hit. But Herb’s version, sans lyrics… It swung in a way none of the hit versions did, was almost akin to Shirley Bassey’s “Goldfinger,” and I’m swinging along with it, mentally singing the lyrics about Madame Roux…you know, that gypsy with the gold-capped tooth!

Then there was the latter day hit, “Rise,” which was released on 1979, just like Michael Jackson’s “Off the Wall,” and comfortably sits in the same groove…sounds just as hip. A modernistic leap forward from the sixties.

And I’m waiting for the big hit…

It wasn’t first, but it was Herb’s true breakthrough, his take on “A Taste of Honey”… talk about bringing you back and making you smile. This take encapsulates the buoyancy of the sixties, with just a hint of gravitas…and that was the era.

And there was all that video shot by the label as promotional footage. That I’d never seen, and most people probably have not either. Herb performing with Charlie Chaplins on the A&M lot which was originally Charlie Chaplin’s studio.

There was none of the dourness of today. None of the cynicism. But without being fake upbeat. This was Herb’s career, he earned his success.

And unlike many of his contemporaries, money is not his issue, after the sale of A&M thirty five years ago, so…this is not a mercenary venture. Herb’s not hawking a single, merch, he’s just performing… Blowing his horn and talking like a much younger man. Herb has all his marbles, his functionality, and the weird thing is so many of his contemporaries are no longer with us.

But Herb survived and so did we.

Now once the Beatles hit, going to a show… It was anything but a passive event. It was hard to get a ticket and just to be in the presence of a star… You forget that it was such a big deal that girls were screaming so loud that it was hard to hear the music.

And that extreme passion for stardom is still a feature of most modern concerts, by the ones who’ve achieved superstar status or are riding a current hit. You pinch yourself, you can’t believe you’re there.

This was something different. The trappings, the aura was gone. It was just Herb and the music. It was human, anything but artificial.

And people care. Brian Martin, the promoter, told me this was the fortieth straight sellout.

If you have any interest at all, GO! The show will put you in a mood, jet you back to what once was without completely disconnecting you from today. I’m not sure where else you can get this experience.

And unlike so many concerts… It was Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass and Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass only. No opening act. He played for two hours. You got enough and then he was gone.

He was thrilled, and so were we.

And that’s what we’re looking for.

This won the Booker Prize. And I was surprised. Because this is the first time I’ve ever read one of the winning books before it was anointed. Furthermore, I usually find the winning books close to unreadable. They titillate the committee, academics, but they are not for the proletariat.

But “Flesh”?

At first I couldn’t even figure out what country they were in.

And the original plot line… I would have handled it differently from the main character.

But what ensues…

Is a life.

We’re used to reading about winners and losers. Not regular people. But István both wins and loses in “Flesh,” and you don’t expect it.

The interaction with the two women after he gets out of the military, what happens in the bathroom… You never know what is inside another. Someone who looks stiff can be loose. Someone who appears easygoing can be judgmental. It’s part of growing up. You encounter different types, have different experiences, and find out where you lie on the spectrum, who you should be wary of.

And then the way things play out in the U.K…

But that’s life, you can fall into things, get lucky, and just as easily fall out of them.

So… I think the average person will be somewhat bewildered at the beginning of “Flesh.” But hang in there. Because once István gets out of the military, you’ll have a hard time putting the book down. You’ll be enthralled by this alternative universe. It’s not you, it’s not people you hang out with, but you have met people like this…who are victims of circumstance, who fall into situations both good and bad.

And the reviews all laud the lack of character description, the tropes of traditional graduate school writing, but despite that I can’t say that the words always flow, that it’s smooth. But it’s all about what happens to István, and the relationships. You’re taken into another world. You’re completely removed from your everyday world, and isn’t that what the best fiction does? And it will have you questioning what life in Eastern Europe is really like, the opportunities and lack thereof.

And I’d contemplated writing about “Flesh” when I read it over a month ago, but I thought it was a bit too outside, not for everybody, but then it won the Booker Prize and…

If you’re contemplating diving in, I recommend it.

If you’re wary…you’re on your own.

P.S. The book is so unclear and so staccato at first you think it’s a translation, but it was written in English by David Szalay

Women love Lily King. Love, love, LOVE her and her work!

But I thought her previous books… Weren’t exactly chick lit, but ultimately punted, in that they went for lowbrow predictable, satisfying the audience, as opposed to going deeper and becoming more complicated and ultimately risking alienation of the reader.

To tell you the truth, I’d about given up on her, was not going to read another one of her books. But then I read the reviews of “Heart the Lover,” reserved it on Libby and decided to give it a chance.

And for the first third it was WONDERFUL, SPOT-ON!

Now the funny thing is unlike with her previous novels, I thought I was not highbrow enough for “Heart the Lover.” You’ve got literature/writing students talking about authors and books I’ve never heard of, never mind read. I felt inadequate, I had to tell myself I knew a lot of records.

But despite that…

Yes, the first half of “Heart the Lover” is a campus novel, and many feel too old to return to those days, but King nails connection and love so well, SO WELL, that was I was riveted and smiling. Pretty soon you know what is going to happen, but you’re still eager to see it play out, how it plays out.

Ultimately “Heart the Lover” is a treatise not only on college love, but love and life in general. The choices we make… We end up in places we didn’t foresee, maybe stable and happy, but that connection from back when…we just can’t break it.

And what is most important, said connection or livability, coexistence?

The last half of the book… There’s a lot of good stuff there, but it devolves into typical Lily King territory. You want more depth… The feelings are there at times, but the plot is somewhat predictable and…

I felt the connection of love in the first half of this book. It resonated with me, it was exactly what I was looking for.

But unlike with a record album, where a few good tracks are enough, a novel must be solid, or close to it, the entire way through.

I’ve learned from feedback that many men are a lot softer than they’re portrayed. For every guy who will only read business books, needs their reading to advance them, there are many others who want a book to affect them, touch their feelings. So there’s a cadre of men who will like “Heart the Lover.” Girls will LOVE “Heart the Lover,” based on what I’ve read and traditional reaction to King’s books. It’s not a huge commitment, and I wasn’t going to write about it, but since I wanted to talk about “Flesh,” which affects you on a visceral level, which is hard to shake, I decided to put down my thoughts.

“Heart the Lover” is not a slam dunk. But it does get to you.

And…how many sacrifice their college ambitions? They’re going to be artists, set the world on fire, and they become professionals, or work for daddy’s company, sacrificing their hopes and dreams.

I’ll let you contemplate that.