From one of the few rock acts recording for Enoch Light's Project 3 label during the late '60s -- the Free Design were the most notable -- the self-titled record by Rain held high promise for fans of Baroque pop. The group, led by Cobb Bussinger and Michael Kennedy, featured the same heavenly harmonies as the Zombies and Left Banke, with each member of the quartet contributing. Ultimately, however, Rain seemed to sabotage their promising sound with too many contemporary modes of sound and production, most of them anachronistic to their basic setup. Bussinger's organ was the perfect complement to the vocals, but Michael Kennedy's guitar figures -- by turns bluesy and blowsy or distorted -- did the band no favors. The band also had very few good songs, despite interesting structures and good playing. Overall, Rain sounds much like the Zombies might have if they had continued on into the early '70s without the success of "Time of the Season," adding their harmonies to drawn-out, free-form material less focused on the song than on the jam. The occasional flourish notwithstanding, Rain is a frustrating listen.
© John Bush /TiVo