Having landed himself in two of the more high-profile California country-rock bands in the '70s,
Poco
and
the Eagles
,
Randy Meisner
was more than a bass player and harmony singer in both, and with
in particular, his talent for writing weary, earnest and often gorgeous ballads like
"Take It to the Limit"
really came to the fore. His solo work after he left
continued in the same vein, and with the possible exception of
Don Henley
, he did as well as any of his ex-bandmates on the solo front. This set combines two of his solo LPs, 1980's
One More Song
and 1982's
(this was
Meisner
's second self-titled LP -- he issued one under his name in 1978, as well), and the two fit together fairly seamlessly. It's all competent California singer/songwriter country pop, no more, no less, and if
isn't exactly the second coming of
Jackson Browne
, he's refreshingly unassuming and at times, as with the striking
"Playin' in the Deep End,"
he raises the ante on all of his cohorts. ~ Steve Leggett