Pop, Pop Rock: Denny Doherty - Waiting For A Song 1974 (2011 Fantastic Voyage)

After a lackadaisical country-rock album in 1971 and a Mamas & the Papas contract-fulfilling reunion disc later that year, Denny Doherty laid low for a couple years before issuing this obscure effort. Waiting for a Song is a rather depressing record, Doherty being mired in melancholia more or less from beginning to end.

The title of "Give Me Back That Old Familiar Feeling," paired with the album's title, provide the intertwined recurring lyrical themes: Doherty as the lost artist looking for a song to sing and a reason to live -- the concepts becoming interchangeable after a while -- and continually looking to the past for fear of looking forward. This motif is underscored by the presence of his former bandmates, Cass Elliot and Michelle Phillips, on backing vocals throughout the record.

Their harmonizing voices are in fine form, but the arrangements are far less novel than those from the group's heyday, and Doherty doesn't hit notes as brightly with his tenor as he once did. Less-than-stunning material and poor distribution rendered this album an instant obscurity, though collectors and Doherty fans were delighted by its reissue on the Varese Vintage imprint in 2001. In hindsight, the record is remarkable for its naked honesty, Doherty making little secret, either in the tunes or in the liner photos, of how much of a wreck he is, but on its own merits, Waiting for a Song is too much of a buzzkill to tout unreservedly. Highlights include the minor AC hit "You'll Never Know" and the Larry Weiss-penned ballad "Lay Me Down (Roll Me Out to Sea)." (Joseph McCombs, allmusic.com)

Arrrgh...this criticism from Mr McCombs really makes me very angry. The whole thing starts with the fact that he speaks of the '71 album as uninterested. Furthermore he talks about the dwindling quality of Denny Doherty's vocals compared to Mamas/Papas times. But he keeps silent that Doherty still delivers a more than convincing vocal performance on this album. He also talks about the bad 2001 distribution of Varese Vintage (I don't know the 2001 re-release). Which at first has nothing to do with the quality of the 1974 album. Furthermore he accuses him (Doherty) of being afraid of the future. In my opinion, I can say that I can also fantasize that the artist might want to process past lyrics. But McCombs doesn't even want to come up with this thought. And anyway, everything was better in Mamas/Papas times. At this point I might get the idea, McCombs is offended that Doherty didn't deliver the album that McCombs wanted: a mid-seventies Mamas and The Papas album. Maybe McCombs was the one who wanted to stay in the past? Anyway, this is one of the weakest (from a purely subjective point of view) written reviews I've read. That just had to come out now.So it's up to me to name the positive facts, lol. Of course from a purely subjective point of view ;-) .

To make a long story short: the album is full of really good songs. It has to be added that Doherty completely used foreign compositions here (except the composition ''It Can Only Happen In America'' together with Bud Fanton). And the selection can be described as extremely successful. In my opinion there is no weak song on the album. The really very good arrangements on the album are also convincing. After the already convincing '71 album Denny Doherty managed to present another really strong album. My favourite songs are ''Simone'', ''Together'' (both pretty Beatles inspired), ''Good Night And Good Morning''( Hall & Oates). But as I said, the whole album is more than convincing. Enjoy.(Frank)

Flac (zippy)                                                      Flac (M)

mp3@320 (zippy)                                           mp3@320 (M)

                                      pass: SB1