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Released 1970

An excellent and underrated '60s pure pop album by one of the foremost exponents of the genre, We Can Make Music finds Tommy Roe and the L.A. "Wrecking Crew" (Hal Blaine, Joe Osborn, Larry Knetchel, etc.) incorporating traces of country, Memphis soul, and folk-rock to create a mature effort which transcends the bubblegum for which Roe is most well known. Not that the record is any sort of world-altering, career-making concept album, but the caliber of the musicianship and the willingness to use somewhat rootsier, more substantial material lifts the record several steps above Brady Bunch territory. Although the album contains several songs by very accomplished writers (including a version of Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "Close to You," which features many of the same musicians as on the classic Carpenters version), the most convincing tunes are generally Roe's own. Highlights include "Stir It Up and Serve It," which boogies along with a great Flying Burrito Brothers-esque country-rock groove, and the rockin' "Firefly," which wouldn't have been out of place as the B-side on a Hard Day's Night-era Beatles single. Though We Can Make Music has neither the over-the-top sweetness of the best bubblegum, nor the depth of similar efforts by contemporaries like Michael Nesmith or Rick Nelson, it's still an interesting look at a lover of straight pop attempting to imbue his chosen field with a bit more heart and soul. For this reason the album is worth searching for and a must-have for anyone interested in hearing the full range of Tommy Roe's talents. ~ Pemberton Roach, All Music Guide

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