JUST FOR YOU

Just For You isn't a perfect listen, though parts of it are wonderful. You will wonder how you missed it all these years, or perhaps even remember it as an obscure part of underground FM radio from when (ahem).it was good. There was no "Classic Rock"! The idea would have seemed ridiculous; back then DJ's were allowed to take risks. It was a time long before they started scratching up LP's to make sounds like corduroy pants. Those that spun records concentrated on presenting good tunes instead.

It opens with sounds of a morning meadow, and a simple yet beautiful melody sung by Nanci Nevins, the real star here, one of Rock Music's almost-forgotten great female sirens of song. There is a cinematic quality to this title track, and it is easy to let yourself be transported courtesy of Sweetwater's imaginative production. This song is a very dynamic way to begin an album.hey, more cowbell!

Sweetwater's sound is often Latin and urban. A folky commune-style chorus guides you through rolling countrysides and smoky streetscapes of ideas. A searing cello and very emotional piano are held steady by a cool stereophonic trip-out of percussive mayhem. Congas and timbales duke it out in a seeming battle to find out who can be the wildest. Certainly, if you enjoyed the early records by its A Beautiful Day you will dig this beyond measure.

Sweetwater's second release is a showcase for Nanci. It's such a shame that there remains so little of Ms Nevins work in existence, but with Just For You we hear her at her peak, with a voice every bit as great as Annie Haslam's .maybe even a touch sweeter.

Sweetwater is a band that's known purely for their performance on Woodstock. Without Woodstock they would have been forgotten immediately and never have gained any attention. Why? Because the music, as ambitious as they are, is plain boring.

"Just For You" is their second album and starts off with the titular song. The song has no direction and sounds really thin. The only good element are the percussion and the flute. Actually, next to Nansi Nevins' vocals, the percussion and the flute are the only aspects of the recods I like. After the Santana-like opener comes a song by Nansi. "Day Song" is a real nice ballad with beautiful vocals by Nansi. Too bad it's only 2 minutes. The last song on side 1 is purely cringe. It's a pretentious song about the wind called "Windlace" and features aweful vocals by Alex Del Zoppo and a cliche cowbell. After listening to side 1 I feel disappointed. The band features 7 great musicians, but how come the songs have no direction, no hooks and sound so thin? Like I already stated; the only thing that stand out are Nansi's vocals, the percussion and the flute. The rest is just boring filler and most of the time it lacks power and direction.

Side 2 starts with a cover that's nothing special. The next song "Song for Romeo" is a big step forward. This is the first song that seems to show any songwriting skills. This song has a good structure and again features lovely vocals by Nansi. Next you get "Without Me" which isn't bad but also totally forgetable. They tried to make a hook with the word 'wanna' but the singer doesn't seem to get it and often sings 'want to' or 'want it' what makes it just dumb. The last song on the album is the best one "Look Out". It's a really catchy uplifting song written by Nansi.

All in all, I find the album lacking power and direction. Most songs seem to go nowhere. Taking into account that the band consists of 7 musicians makes it really strange that the songs sound so thin and powerless. The best musician on the record is Nansi Nevins. If she had gone solo and took the 2 songs "Day Song" and "Look Out" with her, she would have been as huge as Melanie or Joni Mitchell. Like I stated in the introduction: this band wouldn't be known hadn't they played Woodstock...

Best songs: "Look Out" and followed by "Song for Romeo" and "Day Song". The rest is just filler