Seven

Guitarist Paul Cotton, pedal steel man Rusty Young, and sweet-voiced bassist Timothy Schmitt*** (who was later recruited by The Eagles) take charge on this well-produced and finely executed country-rock strummer. The rosy nostalgia of “Drivin’ Wheel” and the fiddle-infused hoedown of “Rocky Mountain Breakdown” are as musically diverse as the spare, dobro-led “Angel” and the graceful “You’ve Got Your Reasons” are beautiful. Cascading strings lift the gentle “Krikkit’s Song (Passing Through)” into a dramatic treatise on love and longing, and arena riffs and punchy rhythms kick “Skatin’” into anthemic territory. Other songs, such as the slow-chugging, bittersweet “Just Call My Name,” benefit greatly from producer Jack Richardson’s keen arranging skills. They’re rife with push-pull musical dynamics, spacious textures, and unpredictable harmonies, all the while sounding every bit as good (if not better than) the era’s country-rock stalwarts such as The Eagles and New Riders of the Purple Sage.