Michael Martin Murphey
Geronimo's Cadillac

Evocative and fascinating: these are the first two adjectives that come to mind when thinking of "Geronimo's Cadillac" from 1972, the debut work of Texan cowboy songwriter Michael Martin Murphey, an album already mature and almost perfect both in the taste of melodies and in the maturity expressed in the lyrics, further ennobled by half a dozen (if not more) of great songs that make "Geronimo's Cadillac" a masterpiece for discerning listeners.

One of the key features of the album is certainly the naturalness with which MMM manages to blend very different styles without ever giving the impression of having inserted "foreign bodies" into the tracklist, which ranges from the carefree and catchy country of the delightful "What Am I Doin’ Hangin’ Around" to the incisive and compelling gospel of "Harbor For My Soul" to the typically Southern Texas Spanish-flavored atmosphere of the alluring "Natchez Trace", a perfect backdrop for a siesta, even though the most surprising passages are undoubtedly the suggestive folk arpeggios of the dreamlike "Rainbow Man" and the sweet and introspective "Boy From The Country", true examples of songwriter sensibility, as indeed is the wonderful title track opening the album, where Murphey's characteristic vocal timbre, sharp and almost slender, combined with an unforgettable melody and a particularly fitting chorus lends this protest against the violations of Native American rights the vibrant intensity of an anthem, while piano ballads like "Calico Silver", with its majestic orchestral chorus and especially the choral "Waking Up" seem to have come from an album by the best Elton John.

If you're looking for something original, little-known, and refined, if you're seeking a perfect blend of country, folk, singer-songwriter music, pop in its purest form, and even gospel then "Geronimo's Cadillac," which features all these characteristics and is able to offer moments of great substance even in its "minor" tracks, is certainly the album for you.