Jim Messina - Watching the River Run (CD)

All Music Guide

The absence of Jim Messina from the music scene for the better part of the 1980s and '90s has been a real loss for fans of country-rock, which makes his return a matter for celebration. Since releasing three major label solo albums between 1979 and 1983, Messina has been heard from only on the Poco reunion album Legacy. For his first solo album in 13 years, he has made a tentative effort, relying on remakes of songs from his old groups for eight of the 11 selections. Songs like "Child's Claim to Fame" and "Kind Woman" from Buffalo Springfield, "You Better Think Twice" from Poco, and "Angry Eyes" and "Your Mama Don't Dance" from Loggins Messina have aged well, and Messina, whose extensive talents always included a gift for inventive arrangements, gives them assured, direct performances that emphasize their consistency. Of the three new songs, "Follow Your Dreams" is an encouraging philosophical statement, "Whispering Waters" a tour de force with a characteristically ambitious instrumen...tal interlude, and "Mexican Minutes" a pleasant throwaway. - William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide Read more Less