Classic ‘70s soft-rock
After stirring little U.S. chart interest with three albums with A& this Texas-bred duo discovered the song “I’d Really Love to See You Tonight†and ignited a run of hits on the Big Tree label. This, their first album for Big Tree, was their best and most commercially successful. The album’s title track just missed the pop chart’s top slot, but did hit #1 adult contemporary. The song’s writer, Parker McGee, also provided the album’s title track (and the duo’s second hit single). The remaining titles were written by the duo, alone, together and with a few select collaborators. Dan Seals’ later reinvention as a country artist is presaged here in the pedal steel and harmonies of “Westward Wind,†“Showboat Gambler,†and “Lady.â€
Though soft rock would become a cliché, it was still fresh in 1976, and Seals (the younger brother of Seals & Crofts’ Jim Seals) and Coley are energized and inventive with their vocalizing. It’s smoothly produced, as you’d expect, but any commercial calculation was the sort previously used in the Brill Building to lace together audience-connecting emotion, easily hummed melodies and hook-filled vocals. And it worked; if you like the hit singles, you’ll like how they filled out the album. With earlier CD reissues now out of print, this MP3 collection is a welcome bargain. [©2011 hyperbolium dot com] 