Poco - POCO***

Hurry Up/You Better Think Twice/Honky Tonk Downstairs/Keep On Believin'/Anyway Bye Bye/Don't Let It Pass By/Nobody's Fool-El Tonto De Nadie Regresa

Self titled follow up album from the US country rock band Poco. Here they move away from the country influences of their debut and adopt a more mainstream rock sound. (US:58)

“A different sound for their second effort, and that's not a bad thing. The boys plug in their electric guitars on this one and do some serious rocking. They do it well, too. On their debut Poco played in an amalgamated folk/country/pop style, but here they vary their music from track to track.”

“This album shows the group moving away somewhat from their country leanings and more into rock. Not bad but a step back from their debut. A long boring instrumental jam mars almost half the album.”

“Pound for pound this record has guts. Tight harmonies, outstanding production value, solid arrangements, it's all good. If you wish to introduce yourself to Poco, buy this record then their first. Listen to how they changed between the two albums. Both fine in their own respects but two very different records.”

“On this, the band rock out harder than on their debut, especially on the opening track Hurry Up. Furay wrote or co-wrote all of the songs except for Honky Tonk Downstairs, which showed that the band hadn't completely abandoned their country leanings. All of their trademarks are here: tight harmony singing, soulful vocals, Messina's economic lead guitar work, and Rusty Young's pedal steel as organ.”

“There are some really fantastic songs and playing on this one. The guitar, the keyboards and the subtle harmonies just blow me away. Obviously the last track is a little much, but that really doesn't take away from the album as a whole.”

“For those of you who like your country rock with the emphasis on rock, with blues and jazz phrasings that truly swing tossed into the mix, this album delivers.”

“This isn't country-rock, so much as rock with a few rather insignificant country trappings thrown in. Thankfully, this particular experiment was short-lived.”