You might think a band with a name like
Cannabis
would be a heavy acid/psychedelic outfit, and there are some indistinct psyche influences on
Joint Effort
, but the album is more a slice of polished, keyboard-dominated pop with soaring harmonies and strong vocals. And, surprisingly, there is only one blatant reference to marijuana (
"I Can't Roll"
), and it is not necessarily an endorsement. It is, on the other hand, a good vehicle for some
McCartney
-esque anthemic melodicism.
"See You in the Morning,"
too, sounds like a
Paul McCartney
ballad with heavier, echoed vocals, and, in fact, the cute
Beatle
can be found all over the album, especially in the lead vocals of
Keith Tweedy
and the ringing pop/rock (references include
Abbey Road
-period and early solo
) of many of the songs. The most rock & roll aspects of
the Beatles
(particularly the electric piano from
Let It Be
) seem, in general, to be good reference points for
Cannabis'
only album. The band, though, is not really a sub-
group; they apply numerous styles, from vocal harmonies on
"Sleeping Bride"
that recall
Queen
to the ringing
Byrds
-like guitars of
"Once Again."
All those flourishes, however, really seem to be efforts to obscure the fact that some of the songs are not much else besides pleasant to workmanlike attempts, though even then,
Tweedy's
uncanny
imitation makes the songs seem prettier than they actually are. They are nice going down but don't leave much of an aftertaste. Still, there are bits and pieces of the album that are truly impressive.
"See You in the Morning"
is fabulous, with touches of solo
John Lennon
-like piano balladry and a sweeping melody. The same goes for
"Sleeping Bride,"
carried by marvelous harmonies and
Gary Wilkinson's
tremendous (as it is throughout the album) bass playing. The best song on the album, though, is the delicate, enchanting
"Smiles,"
driven entirely by acoustic guitars. Those three songs alone make
more successful than most one-shot acts from the era. The songwriting duo of
Wilkinson
/
Randall
was not
Lennon
, but showed considerable promise. In the end, though, the album falls several hooks short of wholly satisfying. ~ Stanton Swihart