Consumer Guide Album

The Persuasions: Chirpin' [Elektra, 1977]
Those who agree with the group's in-it-for-love producer David Dashev that this disc is "definitive" find Jerry Lawson's deadpan interpretation of Tony Joe White's "Willie and Laura Mae Jones" and Joe Russell's solo claim on "To Be Loved" more resonant than I do. But I am impressed by the acappella anthem "Lookin' for an Echo" and the way they sustain "Women and Drinkin'" for seven minutes, and I really like the easy stuff: "Papa Oom Mow Mow" and "Sixty Minute Man." B+