Mike Corbett & Jay Hirsh with Hugh McCracken - Mike Corbett & Jay Hirsh with Hugh McCracken (1971)

Mike Corbett and Jay Hirsh had previously recorded an album as part of Mr. Flood’s Party and while some references describe this as Mr. Flood Part 2, it’s anything but. Co-produced by the pair, 1971’s cleverly-titled “Mike Corbett & Jay Hirsh with Hugh McCrackin” abandoned the formers’ mild psych moves in favor of a first-rate collection of CSN&Y-styled folk rock. Largely penned by Hirsh (Corbitt was credited with co-authoring two tracks), tracks such as ‘Gypsy Child’, 'Uncut Diamonds’ and 'The Mighty Emerald’ were full of great melodies and wonderful vocal harmonies that withstood a comparison to such stalwarts as CSN&Y. Hirsh had a voice that was quite attractive and even the trio’s occasional forays into country-rock such as 'Seashore’ and 'Goodnight My Lady’ were enjoyable. The secret ingredient may well have been guitarist McCrackin whose tasty guitar ensured that the other two never got overly goopy (okay 'Swan Song’ was kind of lame) - check out his slide work on 'Sweet Virginia’ and the blazing rocker 'Agatha’s Raven’.