Although
West manage a pleasing, Byrdsy sound on their Bob Johnston-produced debut, overall it sounds rather thin and unoriginal. Half of the LP consists of competent covers of material by contemporaries like
Bob Dylan,
Fred Neil, Ian & Sylvia, and
Dave Dudley ("Six Days on the Road"). To be unkind but accurate, these sound like the sort of cover bands that low-budget movies would employ to play familiar material when the original performers and versions were obviously unavailable for the soundtrack. The few slices of self-penned material are very much in the mold of California folk-rock circa 1967-68, and are pleasant though not outstanding. Occasionally country influences become pronounced (as on Stewart's eccentric "Donald Duck"), and at other points there are odd touches of poppy production that sound like folk-rock with a half an ear cocked toward easy listening airplay. ~ Richie Unterberger