Jack Tempchin One More Song (CD)

(Blue Elan Records) 12 tracks, digipack

Jack Tempchin may not be immediately familiar to everyone, but probably everyone knows his songs. He was involved in the composition of “Peaceful Easy Feeling” on the Eagles' 1972 debut album of the same name and also helped write “Already Gone” from On the Border (Elektra, 1974). As a member of the Funky Kings in 1976 (along with another esteemed composer, Jules Shear), he wrote and recorded “Slow Dancing”, which was turned into a real hit by Johnny Rivers the following year. But that was just the first of many covers of the man's tunes over the course of four decades, in addition to a host of other collaborative compositions during that time, including with another esteemed Eagles colleague, JD Souther, and a former friend of Delaney & Bonnie (and one of Derek's Dominos), Bobby Whitlock.

With its sparse acoustic guitar and gentle vocal harmonies, Jack Tempchin's most famous song appears here as the very first track of the twelve and “Around Midnight” could well be seen as a sequel to “Slow Dancing”. The subdued piano and gentle electric guitar conjure up the same intimacy that characterizes his songs.