Consumer Guide Album

Phoebe Snow: It Looks Like Snow [Columbia, 1976]
Except for "Mercy on Those," a quite remarkably tedious profession of self-righteousness that occupies the last 6:06 of side one, Snow's gifts as a singer and lyricist are finally channeled. The silly mystical ideas are way down below her overriding good sense; up above we find a fairly strong, direct, and happy woman who is by no means vegetating in her contentment, perhaps because she's too insecure ever to become complacent. She's rocking a lot more, correct practice for a content but uncomplacent person, and when her voice wavers it no longer sounds as though it wants to disappear altogether. And the three non-originals--"Teach Me Tonight," "Don't Let Me Down," and "Shakey Ground"--make quite a combo. B+