David Gates (1978) Drifter

A hit single if ever I heard one, this David Gates solo track, from his 78 Goodbye Girl Soundtrack album,bared a lot of country rock hallmarks in the brisk acoustic guitar shuffle beat and laid back vocals as well as a brilliant violin /electric guitar part where the two play together though intentionally not fully in sync more following each other. Drifting like the catchy hook of the song relates, free of the mellow, schmaltz that could occasionally seep into some of Gates' solo work. Instead a heartfelt ode to travelling delivered without the histrionic falsetto that Gates also indulged in at the expense of the complex emotions of his ballads.