Deliver Review

Creeque Alley is the reason to own this, a shaggy autobiography of how the band formed, naming names over a shuffle, and it is funny and affectionate and completely unlike anything else they cut. Dedicated to the One I Love is the hit, a slow gospel adjacent reading of an old song that opens with Michelle Phillips singing alone and is arranged beautifully. That is the good news. The rest of the album is a group going through a routine.

There are more covers than ever, the harmony parts are doing the same tricks in the same places, and the writing has drifted towards the generic. My Girl and Twist and Shout are here for no reason anyone could defend. The playing remains immaculate because the players were the best in the city. What is missing is any reason for these particular twelve songs to exist together. Two excellent tracks, a lot of filler, and a group visibly running out of road.