Jesse Colin Young - Young Blood 1965

Young's early 1965 album, more than the earlier material collected on The Soul of a City Boy, points toward the mixture of rock, folk, blues, and a little country he would take with the Youngbloods, even if little of the album boasts electric rock arrangements. Young combines originals with folk and blues covers on this pleasing set, highlighted by his already excellent vocals, which blend soulfulness and gentleness as well as any of his folk and folk-rock peers from the era. This wouldn't rate among his finest work, only because it doesn't contain anything that would rate among his best original songwriting. Still, there are glimpses of a more idiosyncratically wistful and tuneful composer on "Summer Rain," "Green Hill Mountain Home," and "Lullabye." The presence of some bass, as well as John Sebastian on harmonica, helps make this (for early 1965) an overlooked folk-rock precursor; "Nobody's Dirty Business" has actual drums and is (for early 1965) a pretty progressive combination of folk and rock elements. AMG.

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