In the bands of his mentor,
Marty Balin (who is credited with having "directed" this album), the songs of
Jesse Barish can be passionate pop/rock performances.
Barish's own interpretation of "Count on Me," a hit for
Jefferson Starship, which leads off his debut album and probably earned him his record contract, is much calmer, more of a folk song. It's typical of the rest of the songs on the album.
Barish has a throaty tenor abetted by a rough vocal chorus, and given the often loose arrangements, you can't help wondering what
Balin himself could do with them. ~ William Ruhlmann