Firebird

Paul Cotton | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 17, 2000)
• Original Release Date: April 12, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Futuredge
• ASIN: B00004TD5I
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #315,511 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Firebird flies high, June 9, 2000

By 

Johnny Norris (Nashville, Tennessee) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Firebird (Audio CD)

It's been sixteen years since Paul Cotton has appeared on a Poco recording, and ten years since his first solo album, Changing Horses. One listen to his new album, Firebird, should be enough to convince even the casual listener that Paul and his Poco bandmate Rusty Young don't deserve the semi-obscurity to which they've been relegated by the capricious whims of the recording industry. Firebird was produced by Cotton, John Thaler and David Knauer, and they've managed to make an album with state-of-the-art sound quality that still carries a rustic, hickory-smoked, aged-in-wood, charcoal-mellowed feel that recalls nothing as much as the first few albums by The Band. That's quite an accomplishment. The sound is spare, which yields a welcome simplicity and a clear sense of stylistic direction. Staunch support is provided by keyboard player Carl McGregor, drummer Joe Morris and bassist Richard Neville, who played bass in Poco for the past nine years. The straightforward, no-nonsense arrangements and the close-miked vocals all contribute to a sense of intimacy and warmth - it sounds like a letter from a close friend that has been too long out of touch. Never an adventurous melodist, Cotton's easy, muscular singing and his sure-handed approach to chord structure prevent the material from becoming samey. Plus there's just enough imagination in the arrangements (Bill Lloyd's deft mandolin work is an especially welcome touch) to keep things interesting even when the melodies are fairly arid. And the material itself ranges over a wide spectrum, from the Native American imagery of the title song and the album's closer, "Let The Wind Blow," to the unadorned sincerity of "Do What You Do" and "Woman With A Broken Heart," to the lighthearted Spanish guitar workout "All The Way To You." "Not Out Of Mind" is a classic country-rock ballad along the lines of Neil Young's great "The Losing End" - country themed material but with a vocal and instrumental edge that owes more to rock than it does to traditional country music. In Neil's tune it was the throb of the Crazy Horse rhythm section and the stab of Neil's solo; in this case, it's the rustic, sun-drenched desert loneliness in Paul's beautiful sustained guitar tones. "Carnival" is a fun tune about the Caribbean island of Curaçao, and it paints a gorgeous portrait that's vivid enough to include references to high-tech hardware ("minicams and minidiscs") without taking any of the romance and mystery away from its subject matter. There are updated versions of two Poco classics, "Ride The Country" and "Bad Weather," but Paul doesn't attempt to recreate the original recordings, instead wisely choosing to re-cast them in a gentler, more reflective mode. "Bad Weather" was always one of Poco's most soulful tunes, and Paul's remake eschews the ambitious modulations of the Poco arrangement in favor of a more focused, more evocative feel, doubling the tune's emotional wallop in the process. He originally wrote it about the breakup of his old band Illinois Speed Press, and oddly enough, I get a distinct impression that in this version he could almost be singing about the various career misfortunes that Poco has suffered through the years - even though the lyrics predict bad weather, he sings them now as if he's looking back at it rather than predicting it. Then there is "Across A Painted Sky" - written by Rusty Young and featuring him playing lap steel and trading vocals with Paul, it moves effortlessly from being urgent and ominous to heartfelt and wistful. It's the surest indicator we've had in many years that the creative spirit of Poco is alive and well, whether any record label chooses to acknowledge it or not.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding is Firebird!, May 5, 2000

By 

Lawrence Neuman (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Firebird (Audio CD)

"Firebird" is Paul Cotton's second solo effort and it is a good one. The album has a soothing Southwestern flavor and contains a balance of uptempo and acoustic music. In addition, it includes two stellar remakes of songs Paul recorded in his early days with Poco. "Ride The Country," first recorded on Poco's "A Good Feeling To Know" album as a uptempo country rock song, is performed on "Firebird" as an acoustic ballad with CSNY type harmonies (all done by Paul). This version alone is worth the purchase of the CD. Paul's classic, "Bad Weather," also newly recorded, is also given an acoustic presentation worthy of attention. Other songs of note are: "Woman of A Broken Heart", "Not Out of Mind", "Across A Painted Sky" ( written by Rusty Young), and "Do What You Do." Current Poco base player Richard Neville appears throughout the CD. Guest muscians on the album include Pocomate Rusty Young and Bill Lloyd from Foster and Lloyd. This CD is highly recommended. Buy it! You won't be sorry.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The spirit of Poco rises again., November 1, 2000

By 

Jorge Perez "JL" (Miami Beach, FL USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Firebird (Audio CD)

Poco has lived in the shadows of the Eagles, CSN, Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, etc. for 30 years and yet the body of work produced by Young, Cotton, Furay, Schmidt and others through the years is remarkable. This new collection of songs by Paul Cotton entitled Firebird allows the spirit of Poco to rise again. The new re-workings of Bad Weather and Ride the Country are mature and striking. Across a Painted Sky is pure Poco with Paul Cotton and Rusty Young sharing thier vocal talents with us once again. But it is the simplest songs that are the most special: Not Out of Mind and Do What You Do. They demonstrate the beauty of Paul Cotton's voice and sense of harmony in the finest way. Strongly recommended to anyone who has felt the spirit of Poco in the past.