The Ozark Mountain Daredevils - The Car Over The Lake Album (Expanded Edition) (1975)

The Ozark Mountain Daredevils' third album for A&M continues their good-natured Southern chooglin' with hints of a newfound mid-70s AM pop vibe. Although it was recorded in Nashville, The Car Over the Lake Album has a distinctly Californian vibe on several tracks, particularly those written and sung by drummer Larry Lee, whose contributions could ride along "Ventura Highway" with any of America's recordings. Despite this warm Beach Boys influence, the album is still a Southern rocker, evident on "Keep on Churning," "Leatherwood," and the slightly goofy "Gypsy Forest." The hard-rockin' push of "If You Want to Get to Heaven" is nowhere to be found on this album, but the laid-back porch-sittin' hum of "From Time to Time" and the spectacular "If I Only Knew" acts as an acceptable substitute.~Zac Johnson