Artist:     Cosmic Partners

Album:     Cosmic Partners: The McCabe's Tapes

Label:     7a Records

Release Date:     11.22.2019  

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As part of the Monkees, Michael Nesmith was the one with a quick quip. During that time, his songwriting was not often on display, nor was his folksy style. Following the end of the wild success of the Monkees, Nesmith turned to his writing and acoustic performances. “Some of Shelley’s Blues,” included here, was recorded by the Monkees but not released until 1990; it was recorded by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, the Stone Poneys (with Linda Ronstadt), and Nesmith himself, among many others. In the just-released live set, Cosmic Partners, the former Monkee (currently touring with Mickey Dolenz) displays his writing ability and his talents with the help of pedal steel master Red Rhodes. He captures the intimacy of “Shelley” and his solo hit single “Joanne,” from 1970.

Many of the selections included in this 1973 live recording should have been staples of the country rock filtering through the airwaves at the time. Beginning with “Tomorrow and Me,” a Dylan-meets-Poco outing, Nesmith proves his abilities outside the confines of the pop group that made him famous. As the Monkees themselves evolved, so did Michael, though he admits that “memory lives on.”

Within the nearly 60 minutes of the performance, Nesmith exhibits a voice perfectly suited for his country-folk missives, a mastery of the acoustic sound needed to pull it off, and the flowing sound of Rhodes’ pedal steel put pull it all together. The quips and humor Nesmith always displayed stream effortlessly throughout the concert. Amid the beauty of “Joanne,” the clever comedy of “The Grand Ennui,” and the splendidly haunting “Silver Moon,” the music, the fun, and the joy of the evening into mesh into a single focus.

—Gene Knapp