The Cake and the Rain

Jimmy Webb is the well-known musician who wrote the Richard Harris song "MacArthur Park"--which includes the famous line "Someone left the cake out in the rain." This is Webb's rather circuitous and confusing memoir. Webb's own narration seems unsteady, with pronounced rough edges. While listeners will hear of muses, happiness, and drama, as well as the ordinary aspects of his life, the work is disjointed. As alternating sections place Webb in wildly disparate time sequences and locations, any sense of a continuous life progression is lost. Fans and those with an interest in music will enjoy anecdotes involving John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Glen Campbell, and the Fifth Dimension, among many other artists who represent the crazy quilt of American popular music. W.A.G. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine