The Mamas & the Papas Review

Everything that made the debut work is still in place and slightly dulled by repetition. The harmonies are richer, the orchestration is bolder, and the material is thinner. Words of Love is the closest thing to a classic, a showcase built entirely around Elliot, and it deserves the space it gets. I Saw Her Again is the interesting one, a song about an affair inside the group written by two of the people involved, with a famous false vocal entry left in because it sounded good, and knowing the story makes the harmonies faintly unbearable.

Dancing Bear is a lovely piece of chamber pop that goes nowhere. Once again the covers pad the running time and once again they are the least interesting minutes. Phillips could write a bridge better than almost anyone working in Los Angeles, and there are three or four here that lift ordinary songs. A good record from a group that had used up its best ideas on the first one.