photo courtesy of Michael J. Media Group

Album Review: Pure Prairie League – Back on Track

Old-school country pop-rock from a legendary band. Sure, I wasn’t initially as excited as I would have been by a new Garth Brooks disc. Or, going back to a more comparable ’70s star, a new Crystal Gayle record. But then I listened to Back on Track and remembered why we all know Pure Prairie League‘s name. Damn, these guys know how to write – and perform – a pleasant soft country pop-rock song. And when I say “country pop-rock,” I mean like from the ’70s, when that branch of country music leaned more toward the Eagles than toward more explosive rock bands like Poison. And yet, this new record is modern-sounding, not stuck in the past. I don’t know why I’m surprised – sorry, Pure Prairie League, I guess I underestimated you a little. Then again, this is the band’s first studio album in 20 years, and with the longest-tenured band member having joined in 2011, none were band members the last time Pure Prairie League released an album.

image courtesy of Michael J. Media Group

Of modern successful country acts, I’d compare this Pure Prairie League album perhaps to Lonestar, a band whose most recent release, 2016’s Never Enders, is actually one of my favorites of theirs, even if it didn’t chart as highly as any of their preceding studio albums. But I digress. This review is supposed to be about Pure Prairie’s League’s wicked-cool, brand-spanking-new, December 2024 release.

From note number one, “The Beginning” kicks things off nicely with a distinct soft country-rock twang. Second track, “Picture Perfect Life,” is more of a swinging, classic country number. And “I Believe” follows with a deep-voiced, rich, heartfelt ballad. Man, this stuff would have been all over country radio in the late ’70s/early ’80s.

“Skipping Stones” has a big, rich, somewhat modern country sound mixed in with old-school harmonies, leaning toward the rock edge of country-rock, suitable for back-to-back playlist status with Poco. You’ll dig the opening lyric, “I don’t like trouble. Trouble likes me.” Oh, yeah!

“Crazy World” is a peppy, softly tuneful number. This is the one that reminds me the most of the Eagles on this record, though it’s clearly more country with the requisite twang. And it’s a bit more of a striding, bouncing, walking-along song than the Eagles’ smoother California style. But oh, those Eagles-esque harmonies!

photo by Laura Schneier; photo courtesy of Michael J. Media Group

“Modern Problem” sounds almost like a ’70s soft progressive track that would have gained airplay at the time. (Alan Parsons, anyone?) If you’d like a back-to-back playlist pairing, I’d suggest Michael Martin Murphey’s “Wildfire.”

Next up, “A Love Like Yours” offers up an almost-bluesy-pop arrangement of a light pop-country song. With horns. This is a smooth song. And I love the jamming, all-instrumental long-outro.

“I’m the Lucky One” follows, the sort of sweet, mildly energetic crooner no country album would be complete without. Sonically, the country artist I’d think would be best-suited to cover this song would be Blog favorite Houston Bernard. Indeed, this sounds like exactly the sort of song you’d find on one of his records, complete with Houston’s confident vocal delivery.

“Love Song” comes across as one of those harmonizing ’70s folk-influenced soft psychedelic rock numbers. Then “Price of Love” follows, adding a Jimmy Buffett-reminiscent style to this smoothly harmonized, old-school tune.

“Six Feet of Snow” is an old-fashioned, at least partly fiddle-driven country dancehall number. And “Back on Track” kicks off with a funky beat, closing the album as a fast-paced number that sounds like a runaway train during the chorus but dabbles in a variety of other influences in-between.

As a whole, this is an impressive album. And I didn’t realize how varied the influences were until I starting writing about each song individually. During dozens of pre-review listens, I could have sworn was a collection of songs that would be described similarly. Indeed, though, almost every song has a very distinct, different influence, yet the album is an impressive, cohesive whole.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure I’d be interested a Pure Prairie League album until I listened to it and realized this is a great record. If you loved the sound that earned Pure Prairie League its hits in the late ’70s/early ’80s, you’ll really like this album. And if you don’t know what that sounds like, give this record a listen and find out.