Marc Brierley
's second album boasted considerably more color in the arrangements than his 1968 debut
Welcome to the Citadel
had. Perhaps the production input of
Ashley Kozak
, who had been
Donovan
's manager, helped move
Brierley
in the more melodic, accessible direction that characterized
's brand of
folk-rock
. (For that matter, sidemen
Harold McNair
, on flute, and
Tony Carr
, on percussion, had played on some of
's fine 1960s recordings.)
's not a "Sunshine Superman," though, and while it marks an improvement from its predecessor,
Hello
is still pretty tame, unmemorably effusive period late-'60s
British folk
-
pop/rock
. The mood ranges from light bonhomie with a
vaudevillian
speckle (
"Sunny Weather"
), earnest flowery orchestrated
folk-pop
(
"Lady of the Light"
and
"When Martha Comes"
), and jazzy
bossa nova
"Lookin' Around the Room"
) to more melancholy and acoustic material, the title track recalling both
Al Stewart
. The net effect, however, is to remind you just how much better
's records were, though this is superficially similar in some respects. ~ Richie Unterberger