A JUG OF LOVE

A solid four stars for this wonderful second Mighty baby album. Quite different in style compared to the first psychedelic (and also excellent) first album. The instrumentation is very pure, mainly guitar/piano. "Jug of love", the eponym opening track is a good example: a mellow and upbeat tune, sweet waves of guitar/piano with a fluid and spacey quality similar to QUINTESSENCE, without the religious, mystic fervor. "The Happiest Man in the Carnival" is another highlight, lot of guitar/piano/flute extatic moments and there's no doubt about the proginess! Cherry on the cake, singing is very pleasant and soft, with a tone which evokes Rick Wright at times. The general mood is hippy, meditative, and sligthly upbeat. A fantastic aerial feeling somewhere between QUINTESSENCE and POPOL VUH. "Keep On Juggin'" is another substantial piece with a more groovy bluesy feeling, trippy psychedelic guitar parts betray another major influence from the GRATEFUL DEAD. "Virgin Spring" is a charming evanescent, melancholic tune featuring superb piano/acoustic guitar parts and still that spacey, sound, "planant", as we say in french. Perfect! "Tasting the Life" shows a bluesier, down-to-earth facet of their sound and still featuring great guitar, while "Slipstreams"gently ends the record. The 2006 Sunbeam CD edition i own is good sounding (natural) and features good bonus, alternate and unreleased tracks "(Ancien traveller" is from the first era).

After releasing a very good psychedelic/ folk album the year before MIGHTY BABY are back in 1971 with "A Jug Of Love". There was a slight country vibe on a few of the songs on the debut but here it's like they've gone full blown country but not quite. It's mostly heard from the guitarist and his style and tone and not the vocalist thankfully although it really doesn't matter as this is a rare 2 star album for me.

The songs for the most part are slow moving with that country sound, the exception is "The Happiest Man In The Carnival" as far as that country sound goes and the only tune with energy is the regretfully named "Keep On Juggin'" with country guitar upfront. Yikes! And speaking of that he's singing of old country roads on "Tasting The Life" a slow piece at that. Sounds like fiddle on the closer. I hope it is.

This was painful for me but if you like country you might want to check this out.