Couchois - Couchois (1979)

Here's one requested by a reader. Couchois were originally comprised of three brothers, Pat, Mike and Chris Couchois, who along with Chas Carlson and Howard Messer, released two albums in the late 70's. Prior to the formation of the band, Chris, Pat and Howard toured and released two albums with Ratchell in the early 70's. After the dissolution of Ratchell, the trio brought in younger brother Mike and Chas Carlson and dubbed themselves after the family namesake. Couchois secured a contract with Warner Brothers in the late 70's and their eponymous debut came in 1979. Sporting an MOR west coast sound, the band were akin to artists like Pablo Cruise and Firefall. Sadly, with the high profile success of those two bands, Couchois were essentially unable to create an identity to set themselves apart from the herd.

The band did enter the studio to record and release their sophomore album, "Nasty Hardware" in 1980. Though the album featured a slightly more updated sound with light AOR flourishes, it failed to connect with audiences and the band soon faded into oblivion. The Couchois brothers would later work with Eric Burdon in the early 80's. Currently, two of them tour in the Allmost Brothers tribute band.

This album is more an exercise in light than shade, with silky smooth arrangements, bright harmonies and a subtle latin influence in places. Very middle of the road, "Couchois" rarely diverges from being just pleasant. Nothing stellar happening here, and nothing terrible. This is a safe and rather inoffensive collection of soft rock. Though this is not my kind of thing, there's certainly a demand (albeit small) for this kind of period music, therefore it's included here for your consumption. Straight from crisp vinyl, check out Couchois.

192kbps @ http://sharebee.com/9886f2ea