Life and Times

After the success of his ABC Records’ debut You Don’t Mess Around With Jim, Jim Croce found himself back in the studio sooner than later to capitalize on the momentum. And he didn’t disappoint. Five months after the debut, Life and Times with “Bad Bad Leroy Brown” and “One Less Set of Footsteps” cracked the Billboard charts and Croce’s reputation steadily grew. Croce’s appeal lies in his unpretentious everyman delivery with an intimate sincerity that makes his songs often feel like entries in a diary. “Dreamin’ Again” uses a gentle and sympathetic backing of supporting vocalists, electric piano, and acoustic guitar to create its dreamlike state. “Alabama Rain,” “These Dreams,” and “It Doesn’t Have To Be That Way” have a nostalgia beautifully captured with the easy stroll of either piano or acoustic guitar. Croce’s backing band wracks up jazzy country-western (“Roller Derby Queen”), upbeat jugband blues (“Careful Man”), and barrelhouse piano (“Bad Bad Leroy Brown”) with equal ease. Croce’s simplicity makes what he does sound easy, but then why is a talent like his so rare?