The Chapin Brothers' sole album is a curiosity in its jumble of rock, pop, and folk styles, which is so disparate that at times it sounds like the product of several different groups and eras. It sounded a little behind the times when it was issued at the end of 1966, with its innocuous folky harmonies and, often, similarly innocuous melodies and lyrics, particularly when they aimed for a pop/rock groove. Only a few of the songs, actually, show heavy traces of their folk trio roots, particularly the acoustic Kingston Trio-like "Blood Water" (complete with banjo and spoken introduction). "The Rains Come Down," "Someone Keeps Callin' My Name," "Going, Going, Gone," and "Thinking of Tonight" have a light, earnest pop-folk-rock touch, modestly melodic, often slightly melancholic, and not unappealing. Much more surprisingly, particularly for those who seek out the album for the Harry Chapin connection, a few of the songs are sullen garage-pop-folk-rock. Those are rather adolescent in tone and lyric, though again more melodic than the garage norm and not without their good points. Harry Chapin's "When Do You Find Time to Breathe" digs into a Barry McGuire-like folk-rock lyric with a dark, waltzing melody not unlike what obscure fellow New York band the Magicians were recording during the era. "Let Me Down Easy," by contrast, is smooth folk-jazz-pop that sounds at least five years out of date. It's a strange record that's actually not bad, but shows them as a minor league if versatile outfit. Harry Chapin fans might be disappointed to find that he wrote just four of the songs, though as a whole it's a notable document of his roots.
© Richie Unterberger /TiVo