A true sleeper in the context of California pop. As a songwriter,
Roger Nichols
wrote with such luminaries as
Paul Williams
and
Tony Asher
(fresh from his collaboration with
Brian Wilson
on
Pet Sounds
, who co-wrote several of the selections here). The album is a lot of things at once. Soft pop, a smattering of rock, and a heavy dose of easy listening. The group itself has a great vocal blend.
Nichols
is joined by
Murray MacLeod
and his sister,
Melinda
. The three voices combined create a wonderful, soft sheen, equally effective on the ballads (
Bacharach
's
"Don't Go Breakin' My Heart"
) and uptempo numbers (
"Don't Take Your Time"
). There is an extremely gorgeous version of the
Goffen & King
song
"Snow Queen,"
which is a graceful waltz, underpinned by the groups' superb vocals. The credits on the album are a virtual who's who of California pop at the time. Among those who helped out on the project on one way or another are
Lenny Waronker
,
Van Dyke Parks
Bruce Botnick
, and
Randy Newman
. Superbly produced by
Tommy LaPuma
, the album unfortunately didn't do very well at the time of its release, which is an incredible injustice. The music, though, holds up extremely well today, and is an authentic slice of California pop. Delicious. ~ Matthew Greenwald