On his follow-up to 1975's Second Chapter, his first solo disc after being such an important element of Fleetwood Mac, Danny Kirwan gives fans another taste of Bare Trees with the lovely song Castaway, which ends the album, and the instrumental Rolling Hills, which could be a sequel to the sublime Sunny Side of Heaven, a treat both when Fleetwood Mac performed it live and when it appeared on Bare Trees. Kirwan's personality shines on those tracks, and this album is chock-full of quality material -- there isn't a bad track on it musically. Where followers of this artist might have a problem is that it seems to be a conscious effort to go off in the commercial direction taken by the folk band America, of all people. Both tracks which open side one and two, I Can Tell and Misty River respectively, would have perfectly fit in America's Sister Golden Hair, Don't Cross the River, and Ventura Highway set list. This is decidedly different music from the slick pop of 1979's Hello There Big Boy, which retained only pianist John Cook from these sessions. That episode had him sounding more like his ex-Fleetwood Mac mate Bob Welch, no surprise since Welch actually charted in 1977 with his Bare Trees track Sentimental Lady. Life Machine on this disc actually sounds like a Bob Welch track, and it is too bad the two artists didn't join forces at this point in time. The strange one here is a reggae version of Let It Be, which, in its brashness, becomes a nice turning point for the disc, showing real personality. Too many artists cover the Beatles note for note while Kirwan gives the world ten new originals and a creative reworking of a classic hit by "the Fab Four." This album was titled Danny Kirwan in North America, while the British release took its name from the other instrumental track, a synthesized journey called Midnight in San Juan. Angel's Delight and Windy Autumn Day sound like Fleetwood Mac meets the band America, a very saleable commodity if you think about it, the Beatles-style ending to Windy Autumn Day driving the point home. Dick James Records really should have gotten more solidly behind this artist -- there's no doubt the talent for Top 40 success here was enormous. ~ Joe Viglione, Rovi

1		I Can Tell
2		Life Machine
3		Midnight in San Juan
4		Let It Be
5		Angel's Delight
6		Windy Autumn Day
7		Misty River
8		Rolling Hills
9		I Can't Let You Go
10		Look Around You
11		Castaway

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