Customer Reviews

Firebird

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

"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.

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.

It has been many years since I saw Poco so I did not know what to expect. I am amazed! This CD is one of the best I have ever heard. Many songs touch on the "Poco" sound such as "Woman with a Broken Heart." But it also has a unique blend of Carribean sounds such as "Don't Stop the Carnival." Rusty Young's contributions are terrific. The music is pure; no electronics or fancy studio tricks here. Paul looks great on the cover. And I love the bird inside that flies away. Now that was a neat trick!

"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.

Poco was always underrated but never undervalued and Paul Cotton's second solo effort continues the tradition of acoustic and electric songs that showcase great guitar work, beautiful melodies and a mixture of slow paced coutry influenced songs with all out rockers. Across the Painted Sky, written by Poco partner Rusty Young is simply a great song that will hopefully lead to a new Poco release. The remake of Ride the Country is remarkable. BUY THIS CD!

This is an excellent recording. An album that will definetly please the fans that know of Paul from his work with Poco.

This CD rocks-when I first got it I played it for days. I saw Poco in Grand Junction CO in July 2001-they played alot of songs from this CD. I am a old Poco fan-saw them when I was 13 at the Fillmore East-in the Village before it closed, & saw them many times in concert as a teenager etc. Their music is tight & its timeless-Paul is an excellent guitar player & seeing him play one knows he just has that knack. I am looking foward to his next CD/-Firebird is well worth the listen.

Sanfi4u is completely off base with the review he/she provided! You want to know about the CD and its greatness, scroll down to Johnny Norris' review. Now that is an accurate depiction of Paul's overlooked talent.

this is very good easy listening album with alot of deep meaning to it and I wish more current music was as good as this. I remember Poco from when I was in High School and they were one of my favorite bands. It is nice that Paul has come out with such an inspiring solo album. I would highly recommend this to all stations that play easy rock music.