Waking and Dreaming, Orleans, 1976, :39
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
I thought I knew nothing about this band, but it turns out they're responsible for the ubiquitous monolith "Still the One." Fellas, is it gay to release an album cover showing us shirtless, with our arms around each other, maybe lovingly pressing a stray hand to a nipple? Just asking. Orleans is one of the only musical acts to have a member later become a state congressman. Their fourth album is pleasant vocal pop. It's poppy and has some hints of disco; not really my thing, but it's decent. At times it even brings the straight funk ("What I Need" could appear on a Sly & the Family Stone album). Actually the instrumentation is better than the singing. Favorite tracks: "Still the One," the gospel-pop of "Reach," and the musical outlier "The Bum."
