David Crosby - Oh Yes I Can- Review



 David Crosby - Oh Yes I Can - 1989 


Songs: Drive my Car, Melody, Monkey and the Underdog, In the Wide Ruin, Tracks in the Dust, Drop Down Mama, Lady of the Harbor, Distances, Flying Man, Oh Yes I Can, My Country ´tis of Thee.

Type of Music:  Mostly Generic Rock and Ballads  

Comments:
David´s first Solo effort after finally having cured his Lebanese Flew. The mood of the album is very optimistic. David is letting us and his wife Jan (not a relative of mine) know that “ Oh Yes I Can still make music” and “Oh Yes I can still be the man you fell in love with”. And David invited a lot of friends to celebrate his return. The whole West Coast Scene took a train and went to the Studio. You will recognise Graham Nash, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Steve Lukather and many others. And David´s band includes Russ Kunkel and Joe Vitale on Drums, Craig Doerge on Keyboards, Joe Lala and Danny Kortchmar on Guitars,  George Perry on Bass and Mike Finnegan on Organ. And, finally, David´s voice is back in full.
So everything and everybody is set to make a great record. Unfortunately that did not quite materialise because of two reasons. Firstly, the songs, mostly written by David alone or in association with Craig Doerge, are very mainstream and miss quality. And secondly, the production is very generic. Artists like Toto and Jackson Browne came to my mind when listening to Melody and In the Wide Ruin.       
There are some exceptions to the rule of course. There is quality in songs like Monkey and the Underdog and Tracks in the Dust. The first song is the story of David (The Underdog) in his battle against drugs (The Monkey). And in the second song we welcome Graham Nash´s harmony vocals. That probably explains why I consider this song to be the best on the album.
So yes, David is back and that´s great. But Oh Yes, You Can Do Better!!

Rating: ****** (6 out of 10)
Black = Good Songs
Green = Great Songs
Red = Could Be Better

Who should buy this Record: Only for the Ultimate David Crosby Fan. Not Relevant for the Rest of the Universe.

No comments: