Cowsills - Rhythm of the World

by Malcolm Carter

published: 7 / 1 / 2023

Label: Omnivore Recprdings
Format: CD

Stunning first album in thirty years from under-appreciated and harmonic 1960/1970's American family group The Cowsills, whose time has surely finally come in the UK

Review

In the UK if you mention the title of The Cowsills’ best known song, ‘The Rain, the Park and Other Things’ the chances are that you’ll be met with a blank look. Sing the “I love the flower girl” chorus (although admittedly not as well as the band did) and it might just register with a few. Famous in their homeland, this all-American family band harmonized together on their records like only siblings can. From The Everlys through The Wilsons to The Corrs and First Aid Kit there’s something magical when families sing together. It’s been a mystery as to why The Cowsills didn’t really bother the UK record-buyers back in their heyday of the late Sixties and early Seventies; maybe their brand of sunshine pop was just too slick for UK tastes, perhaps seeing what appeared to be a wholesome American family with Mom even sharing the spotlight was too cheesy for us. Like so many bands that were not taken seriously in the UK during pop’s golden era (The Monkees being a prime example). The Cowsills have had to wait for their time to come in the UK. Now with their picture on the front page of respected music monthlies it seems music lovers are now prepared to give the band a listen. And it’s about time too… Although they’ve had more than their fair share of problems The Cowsills, in various combinations, have managed to stay on the music scene in some way through the last six decades. Their latest album, ‘Rhythm of the World’, which is being promoted as the first new music from the band in thirty years, features three of the original surviving members, Bob, Paul and Susan. Apart from occasionally recording and performing together in the 1970s and 1980s as The Cowsills, for many it was Susan who made the biggest impression; she recorded two solo studio albums (‘Just Believe It’ and ‘Lighthouse’) and was part of The Continental Drifters, a supergroup of sorts with Vicki Peterson and Peter Holsapple and together again with Peterson formed The Psycho Sisters. Apart from making many a well-known classic her very own (‘Don’t Worry Baby’, ‘It Might As Well Rain Until September’, ‘Who Knows Where The Time Goes’, ‘Galveston’), on her solo albums Susan proved without a doubt she could write songs to match those classics. Susan Cowsill is simply an outstanding singer/songwriter. Now with ‘Rhythm of the World’ we can hear Susan’s heavenly tones once more over eleven new songs; three of the early line-up of the band are at the core of these songs, Susan, Bob and Paul. They are joined by various musicians some who share the Cowsill name… so it continues. All the songs are originals and the set was produced and arranged by The Cowsills. And what a production it is! It could be argued that The Cowsills could sing anything and it would throw light into the darkest of days, but the way the songs have been arranged and produced is something a certain Mr. Wilson would surely be proud of. ‘Rhythm of the World’ is The Cowsills ‘Pet Sounds’; apart from those heavenly harmonies and unforgettable melodies the sound of ‘Rhythm of the World’ is light years away from their ‘60s/’70s albums. The obvious attention to detail and love that all involved put into this project shines through in every song. There’s a familiarity to much of this album, like revisiting old friends and reminiscing about old times. You find yourself frantically trying to remember why a certain song reminds you of another; only to be suddenly blown-away by those harmonies and all thoughts are forgotten for a while. The Cowsills have made it easy though: in the notes they’ve listed artists and songs which came to their minds as they recorded the songs. To take the opening track, ‘Ya Gotta Get Up!’ though, it bursts out of the speakers like the sun pushing through clouds on a summer’s day, and. while it sounds instantly familiar, the song emits such good vibes all thoughts of ‘sounds like’ disappear; it’s The Cowsills brightening up our lives once more. With Susan and Paul handling lead vocals, it’s an uplifting, perfect start to the album and the production is simply stunning. A perfect summery pop song complete with Howard Kalan of The Turtles shouting out the title it can’t fail to make the listener feel good. ‘Lend a Hand’ continues in the same vein; an upbeat summery song, gorgeous harmonies with Bob taking the lead vocals, it’s another heard-once-never-forgotten slice of perfect pop. According to those notes the former song reminded The Cowsills of The Osmonds and the latter The Eagles. Now they know better than me but to these ears they sound like pure Cowsills, although the songs might sound familiar there is so much going on, so much to discover within each song that any similarities are quickly forgotten because of those harmonies and the production. I’ll give them Fleetwood Mac/Stevie Nicks for ‘Every Little Secret’ though. Yep, it’s that good. Even when they are touching on topical subjects as on ‘Nuclear Winter’ those harmonies and the melody force the listener to sing along and move, it’s another marvellous production; despite the lyrics the band give us hope in their vocals. The title song is another that is thought-provoking yet optimistic and inspiring. Susan’s lead vocals are stunning as is, once again, the production. ‘Largo Nights’ mixes The Beach Boys with The Byrds, not a bad combination. Bob’s Rickenbacker rwelve-string goes some way in creating that comparison and it’s a dream of a song. The Beach Boys also come to mind on Paul’s ‘Goodbye’s Not Forever’, not just in those harmonies but in the arrangement and even in Paul’s lead vocals. Bob’s lead guitar work is stunning here, as it is on many of the tracks. The album closes with Bob’s ‘Katrina’, a song that details the hurricane that eventually took brother Barry’s life. It’s a chilling and heartbreaking tale and one can only imagine how difficult it was for Bob Cowsill to write this song. It’s a breathtaking way to end the album and a fine tribute to a brother who played such an important role in the band. Yet again the production is amazing. The Cowsills deserve all the acclaim they will surely receive for this album. It’s a career highlight, the best album they have recorded and with the current interest in the band we can only hope that this time the UK will not miss out on this talented band.

Track Listing:-

1 Ya Gotta Get Up!
2 Lend A Hand
3 Hawks On The Line
4 Every Little Secret
5 Nuclear Winter
6 Rhythm Of The World
7 Largo Nights
8 Goodbye’s Not Forever
9 The Long Run
10 Try To Believe It Too
11 Katrina