Roger Nichols And The Small Circle Of Friends - Full Circle (2008)

Full Circle, recorded in 2007 but re-released in 2008, reassembles the the original trio of Nichols, Murray McLeod and Melinda McLeod Patterson (Murray’s sister). The minute your laser hits the first track, “Talk It Over In The Morning,” and the trio of vocalists breezes its way out of your speakers, it’s like an instant wave of familiarity. Those silky smooth harmonies haven’t lost a thing in 40 years! It’s like those middle 38 years never happened.
The album is a pleasant surprise. The five bonus tracks aren’t really essential, as they are demo versions of the main body of twelve tracks that comprise the newer recordings. But those twelve tracks are gold. The shuffling leadoff track, “Talk It Over In The Morning,” was recorded by Anne Murray many years ago and may be familiar to many music fans. The next track should have you break into an instant smile: “The Drifter”, a bonus track on the Complete Small Circle of Friends CD and long-lost A&M single, is given an update, and aside from some modern production hints, it’s like 1967 all over again.