Release

Henry Gross left Sha Na Na the first chance he had, signing to ABC Records for a record that went nowhere. It was quickly followed on that path by a pair of LPs for A&M, then Gross made the jump to Lifesong Records, the label Terry Cashman and Tommy West had recently founded. Cashman & West produced Release, Gross' 1976 debut for the label that also happened to be his breakthrough thanks to the soaring de facto Beach Boys tribute "Shannon." Much of the rest of Release exhibits some kind of debt to the brothers Wilson, but neither Gross nor Cashman & West are content to stay still. The album opens with "Juke Box Song," a fairly kicky rocker where he sounds a shade like Glenn Frey, and Gross eventually winds his way toward Harry Chapin territory on "Moonshine Alley," dabbling in a bit of a breezy beachside pop ("Lincoln Road," "One Last Time"), goofball blues ("Pokey"), and delicate McCartney whimsy ("Overton Square") along the way. Cashman & West gave this versatility a bit of a vivid Technicolor splendor and Gross sold each style like the ex-showman he was, turning this into an underrated bit of West Coast studio pop. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine