The second and last
Zephyr LP to feature wunderkind guitarist
Tommy Bolin,
Going Back to Colorado is a '70s rock sleeper, popular only among obsessive
Bolin fans. Singer
Candy Givens refines her
Joplinesque delivery on the 1971 Warner Bros. release, but fails to define a sound of her own. Hippy-drippy moments like those on "Miss Libertine" come off as a little naïve, and the entire recording lacks a unique vision. When
Bolin rips it up on tracks like "See My People Come Together," all the revolutionary clichés become tolerable. Unfortunately, most of this album's material is tired, and
Givens' delivery is too derivative.
Bolin has his share of shining moments, but they are not quite in keeping with his band's "free love" aesthetic, and ultimately the choice licks are wasted on
Going Back to Colorado. Fans of the guitarist should still snatch this record up when they can, if for no other reason than to chart
Bolin's musical development. ~ Vincent Jeffries