Cass Elliot
's departure from
ABC Dunhill Records
and their bubblegum marketing of her was probably the greatest career move that this awesome vocalist ever made.
RCA
obviously had better things in mind for her, treating her with the same sort of care that they bestowed on
Harry Nilsson
. The company let this pair of world-class vocalists choose their own material and brought them together with great musicians and arrangers. The end result was possibly
Elliot
's finest solo album. She was certainly more comfortable with the material. One of the best performances is
Judee Sill
's
"Jesus Was a Crossmaker,"
which is vaguely reminiscent of
Laura Nyro
's fine work of the period.
's version of
Randy Newman
"I'll Be Home"
is also a standout.
's sister,
Leah Kunkel
emerges as a sensitive songwriter on this record, and
's reading of
"When It Doesn't Work Out"
is absolutely graceful. Arranger/conductor
Benny Golson
's work perfectly frames one of the voices of a generation. ~ Matthew Greenwald