Matthews Southern Comfort

We've said it before and we'll say it again. Country rock just sounds better when sung by waify English dudes. Recorded in 1971, this bona fide lost gem swirled Los Angelino canyon country rock with star-dusted psychedelic folk. Their dreamy version of Neil Young's "Tell Me Why" is the definitive version (as is "Woodstock").

This one really is pretty--except when guitarist Carl Barnwell gives him love letters to read (long-winded, too: "Sylvie" runs 6:08 and "For Melanie" 6:50), he selects very lissome melodies. And no dumb lyrics, either. But when you're so single-minded about singing pretty it's hard to convince anyone you care what the words mean. (Grade - B-)