The band's new singer Mikael Rickfors, a Scandinavian with a clean pop voice equally adept at rock, gospel and country leanings wrote some excellent songs for the album. The first one he wrote, Don't Leave the Child Alone has a crisp sound of a sweet lyrical wah wah guitar playing countrified slide licks, ringing out so wide, the downhome fast paced vocals have an affectation element to them that works, a rugged facade that belies the feminine heart felt affection of the lyrics.That thick wah wah guitar spreads all over the audio channels, it was miked effectiviley to capture a large clean recording of a sweet guitar effect. The next Rickfors' tune could be the best of a very strong set of songs presented on this album, it's its called They Don't Realise I'm Down, it represents the albums mix of fast paced countrified folk rock, funky rhythms, Soul textures and gospel harmonies. The exquisite tune starting similar to the other Rickfors' song with a wide wah wah guitar chords flanging out while Rickfors sing in a restrained, downbeat, downtrodden, understated delivery before breaking out into a golden sing a long harmony of "All the People looking around, They don't realize I'm down!", it's a beautiful sunny group vocal with a deeper edge to it far away form the romantic and post-hippy simple messages of the album. It's a darker statement cloaked in a happy upebat manner, my favourite kind of music style, that country rock groups like The Eagles and Firefall would soon master too.
If It Wasn't for the Reason That I Love You starts with the most awesome guitar opening with a relentless arpeggio two octaves a part providing a rolling riverbed for a sparse but smooth guitar lick wind away. The quiet fast syncopated lead vocal works with the conga led beat and the soft romantic lyrics, it's a shame the song never gets as vibrant as that stirring guitar opening. Shame.
A Better Place opens with wah wah quacking funk guitars before the glam verses concerning a guy who feels more in common with his mother in a simplistic gender dichotomy before the hippie choruses. The wah wah solo is so disco discofied for 1973 while the ticking keyboard heard faintly in the background is a nice arrangement addition. Nearer to You starts with fabulous hybrid of reggae and hard rock as a series of heavy guitars slide back and forth in sync to a cowbell while chirpy pan flute sings a calypso line over it; its another stunning intro and displayed the band' magnificent arrangement ability (this intro reminds meof Canned Heat' Up in the Country). When the vocals come in they can't natch the cheery upbeat attitude but the melody and lyrics alongside the reggae guitars and piping flute that is a missed opportunity for a hit single. In fact the album has many commercial radio friendly songs sitting around on this album aside from those mentioned. Nearer to You and A Better Place are great songs written by Hollies guitarist Tony Hicks and early 60s pop singer Kenny Lynch's but the peak of the Hicks/Lynch songwiting partnership is Slow Down Go Down.
Slow Down Go Down starts with another fantastic intro as a chorus of trembling electric guitars mix with emotive harmonies and banjo pickin for the contemplative verses, the chorus is unsettling with the line 'Give me a woman that I can trust and I don't have to beat' but the good time flat picking gives the song a road trip feel along with the bright country guitar playing. The percussive middle 8 is well placed as is the driving solo that follows bringing very subtle layers of Rockabilly to the surface, this almost sounds like a 60s number and the vocals are truly something special, heavy with solemness and inner suffering just waiting to break out as he sings the line 'I don't want to sleep at night..I've lost the will to fight... I just someone to love me I don't want to cry no more!'
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