Eric Andersen
Blue River

[Uh-oh! We are informed that this review also appears (entirely or in part) on delrock.it]

Born in 1943 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Eric Andersen is one of the most respected and beloved American singer-songwriters. Since his debut (which took place during the height of the folk boom in 1965 with "Today Is The Highway") to today, Andersen has always distinguished himself for his intimate, poetic, and refined writing. After a brief country interlude at the end of the 60s, his album "Blue River" was released in 1972, the most beautiful in his entire catalog.

The sessions were held in Nashville with Norbert Putnam's production and a team of talented musicians who gave the album a warm and sensual sound. The rest is provided by Andersen with his melancholic and intense voice and songs. A masterpiece that encapsulates folk, rock, country, and soul, speaking of love and sentiment.

The album opens with "Is It Really Love At All", which well introduces the content of the work. A tender track, slightly eerie but never overdone. Then it would only take "Wind And Sand", a piano ballad with a bleeding heart, the sweet "Faithful", or the title track itself with Joni Mitchell in the chorus to make it a great record. But the rest is no less. Andersen outdoes himself with "Sheila," where the already fabulous instrumental part is enriched by a melancholic guitar solo drawing from the old west, and serves a fleeting return to country with "More Often Than Not" on a silver platter.

An elegant, unique album, full of charm and still relevant despite the time that's passed.