Country-rock veterans
Pure Prairie League have endured enough lineup changes to rival a Major League Baseball team, but their laid-back blend of Nashville twang and Midwest earnestness eschews the genre's predilection for slick and soulless pop aimed at securing placement in a pickup truck commercial. On their first collection of new music since 1981's
Something in the Night, original members
Craig Fuller, Mike Reilly,
Curtis Wright,
Rick Schell and
Fats Kaplin have crafted a surprisingly cohesive -- for being apart so long -- set of tunes that hark back to their mid-'70s glory days, exploring the mysteries of the heart ("I Sure Do Miss You Now," "Here Tomorrow, Gone Today") and the history of good times both past ("Gettin Over You") and present ("Cajun Girl") with a grace and humor than brings to mind
the Byrds and
the Eagles.
All in Good Time proves that the heart of "Music City" can still pump blood and not just money. ~ James Christopher Monger