Global: Articles, Reviews, & Interviews

DateLink To ARTICLE, Review, Or Interview
10/11/24Best Classic Bands: The Label Exec Who Got Fired When He Tried to Sign The Cowsills (Greg Brodsky)
Omnivore Recordings 2024 Re-Release Articles, Reviews, and Interviews

Global was originally released in 1998 and was a hit with fans and critics alike.

DateLink To Review Or Article
07/17/99Billboard: And The Cowsills Are Back With An Album Available Only On The Internet (Catherine Applefeld Olson)
‘SILL THE ONE: Remember the Cowsills? The all-in-the family band that provided a blueprint for the Partridge Family is back in action 30 years after it’s pop hitmaking heyday, with it’s own label and album, which can only be found on the Internet.
Both Robin Records (www.robinrecords.com) and the album “Global” launched seven months ago and have been building a steady following among fans and industry insiders. “Getting a contract isn’t easy these days” says founding member Bob Cowsill. “Labels like our music, but they don’t know what to do with us. We are saying, ‘Our audience is out there. We know how to market to them, and we want to show you what we mean by that.’ The internet takes us to people, puts us in a position where we can be reviewed, get acknowledged.”
Cowsill says thus far a number of label executives have downloaded song samples from the site and requested review copies. He adds that the band could well build a bridge back to traditional distribution. “The first part of our plan is to use the Internet to get the word out that we are here and making music”, he says.
06/04/99Goldmine: The Cowsills – Global (John M. Borack)
Yes, this is a new record by The Cowsills. Uh-huh. Those Cowsills. Yeah, the same Cowsills who gave us “The Rain, The Park And Other Things.” Yep, the very same Cowsills who inspired The Partridge Family TV Series. But before you summarily dismiss Global based on what The Cowsills may have done 30 years ago, listen up: This is one dammed fine record, not some lame exercise in failed nostalgia.
Powered by 11 wonderful new songs from Bob Cowsill (many cowritten with his wife, Mary Jo) and vocal and instrumental support from siblings John, Susan and Paul (along with bassist Robby Scharf), Global finds The Cowsills swimming in pure pop waters, with their silky-smooth harmonies perfectly complementing the often edgy guitars of Bob and guests such as The Knack’s Berton Averre.
Susan handles lead vocal chores on rockers such as the pissed off-sounding “Far Away” (an amazingly fluid lead guitar run from Bob on this one) and the churning “Under The Gun,” with her slightly dusky, expressive voice perfectly coloring the tunes. “Rescue” is another roaring rocker — sort of a domestic squabble set to music — with Bob providing the passionate lead vocal.
In a more overtly poppy vein, “She Said To Me” glides along with an almost punky energy, “I Be Low” features Susan on rhythm guitar and is graced with an unforgettable chorus, and “What I Believe” is highlighted by perfectly lovely close harmony vocals.
As good as all these tunes are, though, they are dwarfed by the pop mastery of the ringing “Is I Any Wonder?” which will stand proudly as one of the best pop songs of the 1990s, period. And, to bring things full circle, the disc-ending, “Some Good Years” finds The Cowsills coming to terms with their past in a stirringly melodic fashion. Global is superb achievement and one that certainly deserves to be heard by the masses on AAA radio. You listening, major labels?
02/1999Louisville Music News: It’s a Family Thing (Jim Conway)
The year was 1969. My friends and I were goofing off with a football in my parent’s backyard, high on life as only ten year olds can be. It could have been a scene straight out of “The Wonder Years”. As we were horsing around, one of my sillier friends ran his fingers through his short hair cut, and started to sing …
“Gimmie a head with hair, long beautiful hair.
Shining, gleaming, steaming, flaxin, waxin…”
The Cowsills single of “Hair” reached number two on the U.S. charts in 1969, and it was our pre-adolescent anthem of rebellion. We identified with the Cowsills, and man of us secretly wished we could be in a family that “cool”. For those of you too young to remember, the Cowsills were to the Sixties what Hanson is to the Nineties: they were a real family group, who wrote, recorded, performed and produced much of their own music. I will suggest that if not for The Cowsills, there may have been no Osmonds, no Partridge Family, not Jackson Five, and … no Hanson.
This may be more of a curse than a blessing to the version of the group Bob Cowsill has brought together twenty-seven years after their last release, but don’t let the old 16 Magazine image throw you. On their new CD, they deliver the goods. From the Who-influenced rocker “What About Love?” to the pure pop “glory days” reflection of “Some Good Years”, Bob and Mary Jo Cowsill’s songwriting delivers the type of guitar-oriented power pop that could make guys like Marshall Crenshaw and John Reubin green with envy.
The melodic hooks and catchy, good-time feel flow with ease and unpretentiousness, like the old Cowsill hits, but with the self realization of lovers who understand the emotional toll of starting a new relationship, while asking themselves “Is is worth the risk?”. Case in point: Susan Cowsills’ vocal performance on “Cross That Line” dares her lover to “be a man”, cross that line of male self-centerdness and do the right thing for the relationship. Susan, along with husband Peter Holsapple of the Continental Drifters, really shines here. Holsapple’s mandolin work on “You’ve Got No Time” provides a haunting time signature through the song. With regards to Susan’s talent, Bill Holmes of Cosmic Debris has suggested that she ” … may be the most underrated vocalist on the scene … ” I won’t discount that here. In fact, brother Bob notes, “Her vocals on Global are her shining moment. I’ve never heard singers do some of the things she does here.”
Which brings us to Bob Cowsill himself. It takes an artist of exceptional talent to transform the mundane subjects of “What I Believe” and “Some Good Years” and make them sound fresh and alive. I’ll even suggest that Bob Cowsill is a candidate for most underrated song writer and simply scold the major labels for passing on this album.
Having said that, the original fans can now scratch our thinning “hair” and know that Global only validates what we knew about The Cowsills way back in ’60.
12/1998Bucketfull of Brains (Terry Harmon)
Global contains 11 tracks that have been circulating among fans for some years. Anyone that heard “Is It Any Wonder?” on the first Yellow Pills CD back in 1993 couldn’t fail to be amazed by a) the breath-taking quality of the song and b) the fact that The Cowsills were without a recording contract — it seems that due to their Brady Bunch-style past they were untouchable! So if you can’t get a deal, start a label. Which is just what the Cowsills have done. And now at last the music of John, Bob, Susan, Paul and their friend Robby Scharf is available for the world to hear.
The album contains a few sad songs and a couple of fairly pedestrian folk-rock numbers and an overall sound that is far more Fleetwood Mac than Partridge Family — which may not be to everyone’s liking – but on occasions, in particular “I Be Low”, “Under The Gun”, and the sublime “Is It Any Wonder?”, when the picture-perfect vocal harmonies glide in and the band achieves an almost spiritual high you can just see them mouthing to the majors “listen to what you’re missing”.
(PS My friend Robin Wills is smitten with “Global” and says, “I’ve now lived with this album for ten days and I can’t seem to play anything else. This is either a sign of benign madness or the mark of a truly great album — you decide”).
12/1998Cosmik Debris (Bill Holmes)
First of all, stop laughing. If you pass up the first new Cowsills record in thirty years, it’s YOUR loss. Yes, we’re talking about John and Susan and Paul and Bob Cowsill, whose hits like “The Rain The Park And Other Things” and “Hair” topped the charts in the late sixties. A true family act (did The Partridge Family ever fess up and pay props?), The Cowsills featured great sibling harmony driving sunny pop songs with just a touch of psychedelia, not an unusual combination considering the era. In the nineties those same strong harmonies are now framed by solid pop melodies and ringing guitar tones. Wisely, their material and arrangements mine their maturity instead of trying to recapture the past, and the result is a solid effort that will rank among the years best pop releases.
Bob Cowsill wrote all the songs (some co-written with wife Mary Jo) and along with sister Susan handles most of the lead vocals. Brother John sings lead on the first track “What About Love” which, except for the chorus, is very reminiscent of Daltrey fronting the early Who (speaking of sixties pop bands!). Bob’s slightly raspy voice is dead-on for the rest of the songs – all Byrdsian 12-string guitars and mid-tempo rock hung on great hooks (and in the case of “You’ve Got No Time”, TWO great hooks!). The rhythm section of drummer John and bassist Robby Scharf is solid throughout.
The band members’ association with REM and Dwight Twilley isn’t lost here – if you like the feel of those artists you’ll find a plateful of good eating here. “What I Believe” has that great Records/Searchers buzz while “I Be Low” mines the best of Fleetwood Mac era Lindsey Buckingham. Along with the jangly pop, though, you’ll find the Neil Young like leads by Bob and some great guest work by The Knack’s Burton Averre snaking low in the mix. And special mention must be made about Susan Cowsill, a great vocalist who only makes everything she touches a notch better. You’ve no doubt heard her work with many other bands like The Continental Drifters and the aforementioned Twilley; she also stole the show away from everyone else on Jules Shear’s duets album Between Us. Her leads on Global’s “Far Away” and “Cross That Line” are outstanding. I’ll say it again – Susan Cowsill might just be the most underrated vocalist on the scene.
Perhaps the record’s most poignant moment is the closing piece “Some Good Years”, a beautiful piece juxtaposing past accomplishments with a hopeful eye to the future. My sentiments exactly! We need more music like this. Rumor has it that some record companies loved the record but backed off when they found out who the band was (ironically, the same rumor exists about the latest Dwight Twilley record). That doesn’t mean YOU have to be stupid, too! Go get this record right now!
Fall 98Lowell (MA) Sun: The Cowsills back in fine style (Steve White)
No matter whether The Cowsills were your cup of tea back in the ’60s, there was no denying that when you listened to songs like “Hair” and “The Rain, The Park and Other Things”, you couldn’t help but appreciate the superb production and pinpoint harmonies.
This Newport, R.I. based family hasn’t done much for awhile, which is why it’s so surprising that their new release, Global, is an absolute gem, an extremely impressive CD packed with the same great hooks and great production values.
Songs like “What About Love”, with John and Paul Cowsill handling the vocals, and Susan Cowsill’s great voice ringing out on “Under the Gun” (with The Bangles’ Vicki Peterson helping out) are simply terrific tracks, complete with a fresh ’90s sound that out-classes a lot of today’s music from kids who may not be old enough to remember that The Cowsills were the model for TV’s The Partridge Family. Check it out and enjoy.
GRADE: A-
11/1998Riverfront Times: Rage Against The Machine (Jordan Oakes)
Mostly, sophisticated music listeners aren’t really that sophisticated. Our journalistic thrones are actually high chairs. We reel superior for liking artists who are so much more substantial than the mainstream fare, but what we don’t realize (or at least acknowledge) is that we’re being force-fed, just as much as we were in the days we wanted to chop Styx. Instead of Spam, now it’s caviar — but it’s still coming from a spoon that reflects music as commodity first and art as a by-product (or a buy product). It’s the most subtle sort of commercial coercion. Is it a coincidence that you can read about Elliot Smith, Liz Phair and Hole in just about any magazine you pick up now? These “hot” artists are revered as special, hip and “important”. They may well be, but their exposure comes from writers playing into the simultaneously tied and hungry hands of publicists, becoming voluntary, unwitting cogs in a machine that churns out Next Big Things as if they were bottled bouillabaisse. Now I like Smith, Phair and Hole — that’s not the point.
The idea is that critics have a responsibility to explore the outer reaches of musical obviousness, to escape from the hype machine — or at least add parts to it. Discovering new musicmakers is of mutual benefit to both the unknown artists and the unknowing listener. Music journalism is written for the converted, but converts need new hymns. The same old epiphanies can make one lose his or her religion. The alternative press sermonizes with a conformity disguised as gentle elitism. Elitism is attractive to those who live for music, but it’s particularly repulsive when it’s the most submissive brand of commercial propaganda. Sadly, there are few publications you can look to these days to discover truly new music. The chicken-and-the-egg dynamic of journalism as follower — or is it leader? — of the publicity machine, which entails regurgitating the same stories and names, telling the same rock & roll fairytales, is killing the American music farm. Crafty marketing and publicity disguised as the evolution of art is bad for new talent (such as Smith) because it ultimately goes down with the ship of inevitable indifference. And how often do you read reviews of musicians you’ve really never ever heard of?
Take Randell Kirsch. You won’t read about this artist anywhere else but here (though I wish that were not the case). He’s an excellent California songwriter, more lanky than swanky, who does everything short of annoying people to further his career. That means handing out tapes of his songs at music conventions and to established singers he happens to run into. He did write one semihit — ex-Go Go Jane Wiedlin’s “Blue Kiss” — and has won fans ranging from Peter Holsapple to Stephen Bishop. He even had a group in the late ’80s on IRS called Show of Hands. He writes about anything, including small talk and accidentally striking up a (platonic) phone relationship with Isabella Rossellini.
Still, although Kirsch’s songs are as special as any of his contemporaries’, it’s unlikely this family man makes a living from his songs. As an unsigned artist, the legwork is all his. Kirsch’s Near Life Experience (Dental Records) is a goes-by-too-fast collection that’s pop in the most delicious, built-to-last way. It’s not a new, ephemeral Baskin-Robbins flavor but classic strawberry. The nearest comparison to reach for on the shelf of canned mix-and-match analogies is a nonbitter Joe Jackson joining the Byrds. Great songs are both this craftsman’s blessing and a Kirsch. He’s almost too good to be true. The perennial pop fodder of breaking free from a tease is put bluntly, boyishly and far from misogynistically on “Kiss Me or Don’t Hang Around”. “Clueless” adds a spark of late XTC to a guitar-soaked hook. “True Love Again” is as cool and sweet as a Marshall Crenshaw breeze. Kirsch gets harmonic support from, of all people but fittingly, Jan and Dean, John and Susan Cowsill and Stephen Bishop. Every song has a differently shaped hook, which is the intrinsic, varied bait of an exceptional pop album.
A couple of Cowsills played on Kirsch’s album. You remember the Cowsills, right? If you were listening to AM radio in the late ’60s and early ’70s, you experienced “The Rain, the Park and Other Things”, “We Can Fly”, “Indian Lake” and “Hair”, hits by a real-life singing clan who were the missing link between the von Trapps and the Partridge Family. (In fact, they were the inspiration for the latter and would have starred in a similar show if they were able to act.) I still hear “The Rain, the Park and Other Things” on oldies radio — a Beach Boys-influenced shard of rosy bubble gum, it captured flower power without the weeds. The new incarnation of the band (sans their late mother), as featured on the brand-new Global (Robin Records), is vocally even richer. Susan, once the family chipmunk, now weaves a seamless tapestry of Bangle paisley and Carole King gingham. Chiming in are players ranging from Peter Holsapple (who’s married to Susan and, with her, is part of the Continental Drifters), to the Knack’s Berton Averre, to actor (and underrated musician) John Stamos.
The songs present the Cowsills’ impeccable harmonies in a new light — street-smart ’60s pop beating with a country-rock heart. The guitars fly like Byrds, the songs are hook-filled without winking cleverness, and any band that gives a credit for background “ooo’s” simply oozes a love of pop as natural as kinship. You won’t read about the Cowsills in Spin. In fact, it took them years to find an outlet to get these songs heard. Hanson would be in graduate school before emerging from a similar shunning.
11/01/98Bucketfull of Brains: The Cowsills “Global” (Robin Wills)
Incredible to think that 30 years on from their hit-making days, the grown up Cowsills should return with such a magnificent album. “Is It Any Wonder” which was featured on the first Yellow Pills compilation gave an early indication that something really special was on it’s way. That song brought back that original frisson that I remembered experiencing when I first heard “You Were So Warm” on that first Dwight Twilley album, it emanates that same majestic warmth. The album has a wonderfully lush sound, through which the magical vocal blend and spot-on instrumentation entraps the listener. The songs are hook-filled and instantly memorable. Though by now far from his teens, Bob Cowsill (often with his wife Mary Jo) has penned some classic pop numbers which manage to capture both a state of mature reflection and an innocent sense of wonder. He is also a great pop vocalist often recalling Dwight Twilley, while Susan Cowsill’s vocal delivery is both vulnerable and sassy, listen to her bite on “Far Away“; the song itself is a wonderful mixture of Beatles and Rumour period Fleetwood Mac. The guitars, while not over dominant, often recall the heights attained on the “Flamin’ Groovies Now” album, from the bedrock rhythm guitars to the crystal clear 12 strings. The album closes with the positively nostalgic “Some Good Years“, a number which includes some perfect Beach Boys styled harmonies.
I’ve now lived with this album for 10 days and I can’t seem to play anything else. This is either a sign of benign madness or the mark of a truly great album; I’ll let you decide.
10/21/98The Boston Phoenix (Brett Milano)
Suppose that a quintessential ’60s pop group had been jettisoned into the ’90s, Austin Powers-style. That’s pretty much the story here: These Cowsills are four of the same Newport-rooted siblings who did the bubblegum hits and the milk commercials in the late ’60s.
In recent years they’ve made a serious stab at new material, and these tracks were cut in 1992 before sister Susan joined the Continental Drifters full-time — legend has it that two major labels were prepared to release it before they found out who the band was. Too bad, because this is a model power-pop album; warm enough to charm and tough enough to resonate; steering clear of both camp and nostalgia (a couple of their old song titles get worked into the lyrics, an in-joke for ’60s diehards). In terms of style, think of Fleetwood Mac with stronger British Invasion leanings, or a secret session between the Figgs and Fuzzy.
Susan’s vocals are the immediate grabber – she’s got the same kind of countryish purity that Linda Ronstadt had toward the start of her career – but the album hinges equally on the four-part harmonies and Bob Cowsill’s songwriting. Bob’s carried his AM-radio sensibilities from the ’60s, and these tunes represent a longstanding quest for the perfect hook: “Rescue” and “What I Believe” are new songs that sound like long-lost 1965 charttoppers, even if the crisp guitar sound is more contemporary.
What’s also endured about the old Cowsills is a noble kind of naivete: They still make you believe that love and hooks can save the world – or at least provide three minutes of emotional rescue.
10/13/98Shake It Up! Yes, The Cowsills.
Well, this is a day this pop fan has been anxiously awaiting since The Cowsills appearance on Yellow Pills Vol. I (Is It Any Wonder, also appearing here). That track revealed a band that had some serious talent – far too much to keep to themselves. Embracing a “do-it-yourself” ethic, The Cowsills have made their comeback known, and have much to show for it in the exhilarating Global.
John Cowsill’s only lead vocal, What About Love, opens the set with a more ballad-like delivery on the verses but with a chorus that is pure pop all the way. Guest guitarist Berton Averre (The Knack) makes an appearance to demonstrate why he may just be one of the most underrated guitarists around. Susan Cowsill takes over on Under The Gun, one of the brightest lights here thanks to a great groove and some fine harmonies with Vicki Peterson. As one might expect, Peter Holsapple appears on Global as well, adding his mandolin to the desperate You’ve Got No Time. Averre appears here as well, and the two very different sounds work wonderfully.
While the friends of The Cowsills deliver solid performances, it doesn’t take away from the focus on The Cowsills themselves. Susan’s pleading vocal in the slow rocker Cross That Line is a solid case in point. Bob Cowsill, who produced Global, shines strongly on the lovely What I Believe, letting his vocal carry a wonderful melody through some touching lyrics and a great chorus. The western feel of Far Away shows a tremendous rhythm section at work in John Cowsill and Robby Scharf who, might I add, deliver consistently throughout Global. There would certainly be diminishment on Some Good Years if not for Paul Cowsill’s keyboards although the track would still remain strong thanks to some great harmonies and a nice choppy guitar part.
The band’s love of rock and roll appears convincingly on Rescue, but more so on the beautifully arranged I Be Low. Here we have as solid a rock and roll song as you can find with just the right amount of pop in the mix to keep one humming along. The hard-driving She Said To Me may just be the best thing here with a vocal arrangement that makes it a standout.
In a year full of memorable comebacks, The Cowsills are a most welcome addition. Clearly, the band plays like they have something to prove. And prove it they do. I’m just anxious to hear them prove it over and over and over. And over!
10/02/98Entertainment Today: VOL XXXI No. 3 (David Bash)
They once walked in the rain and the park, and took a trip to Indian Lake. Then one day it was no longer groovy, and the Cowsills went their separate ways. In the late ’80s they decided to do it again, and by the early ’90s they were playing clubs all over Los Angeles showcasing their new material, receiving rave reviews (they were voted Best Unsigned L.A. band by several publications, many times over). Now they’ve released a truly great album of their ’90s material. While they’re no longer kids, and their sound reflects that, they still have their trademark harmonies and use them to great effect here. Global is full of earth, rootsy pop-rockers that will equally please fans of pop, AAA, and alternative country. After hearing each cut, you’ll unfailingly find yourself saying “man, this should be a hit!”
The Cowsills now consist of Bob, Paul, John and Susan Cowsill, along with friend Robby Scharf (mom Barbara has passed on, and brothers Bill and Barry have pursued other musical interests), and they’ve greatly coalesced as a band, with tight singing and playing, not to mention production that is bereft of studio manipulation. The team of Bob Cowsill and his wife Mary Jo write songs that display a nice mixture of styles and tempos, which keeps everything fresh. The variation is illustrated by the rootsy “What About Love”, which features a stinging guest guitar solo by Berton Averre of The Knack; the uptempo, electrifying harmonyfest “She Said To Me”; the desert rocker “You’ve Got No Time”; “I Be Low”, which is a straightahead melodic rocker and kind of Cheap Trick-ish in parts; and the silky smooth, sad “Is It Any Wonder”. While all of the above are sung by the guys, Susan displays some fine Ronstadt-like leads on the earth “Under The Gun” and “Cross That Line”, as well as on the biting, country-ish “Far Away”. The album’s coda, the beautiful “Some Good Years”, shows that while the Cowsills have clearly abandoned their ’60s sound, they haven’t forgotten the good times they had when they all had long, beautiful hair.
Make sure to pick up Global as soon as you can, and when you see the Cowsills name on an upcoming bill, be assured that this will be one show you won’t want to miss.
09/22/98AOL Member Music Reviews (Jo Malone)
Don’t let anyone kid you, The Cowsills are back in a big way and they are more than ready to go “Global” in the new millennium! And if the CD is any testimony to who they are professionally today, then you won’t want to miss this new release out on Robin Records. It’s 42-plus minutes of sheer excitement and takes you from the hard-hitting rock sounds of “Rescue,” to the smooth sounds of “Some Good Years.”
John, Paul, Bob and Susan Cowsill are the four performing family members on this first release of many -I hope- and is complimented well by bassist Robby Scharf. They also enlisted the help of many of the big talents in the biz to put out this spectacular collection. To drop a few names, there’s Vicki Peterson (The Bangles); John Stamos (musically, a performing member of the Beach Boys, even though most know him for his acting abilities in many television shows and movies); guitarist Burton Averre of The Knack (“M-M-M-My Sharona” fame); and Peter Holsapple (The DB’s, REM, Hootie and The Continental Drifters) just to mention a few.
The compositions on this release are truly what power-pop was meant to be. Great music and lyrics (all the songs on this CD were written by Bob Cowsill and some were collaborated on with his wife Mary Jo), added to fabulous voices and some heavy duty emotion just to put it over the edge.
Some of the highlights are “Cross That Line” which features Susan on lead vocal and is one “don’t miss” performance by the singer. She really comes across with the need to share the powerful lyrics with the listener in a major way.
If there was a single to be chosen, brother John’s lead vocal performance on “What About Love?” (which kicks off the CD), would be my choice for Side A. This tune should not only be listed in the power-pop classification, but the country rock and the R&B categories as well (you need to hear his fade out at end of the selection to know just what I mean). John is always giving his audiences a stellar performance – whether live on stage in one of his individual acting/singing efforts or in the studio with his siblings – but this one is definitely one of his best. Side B would surely be “You’ve Got No Time,” a well-orchestrated, hauntingly wonderful tune. Bob sings the lead on this one and indeed makes me want to believe that I am running out of time to get back to being a Cowsills fan in a big way. On all of the selections however, you can hear ever-present effervescent harmony that has always been a Cowsill trade mark.
There are many tunes that Bob sports lead on and he is versatile enough to handle the Beatle-esque lyrics of “What I Believe,” and the comes-out majorly rocking on “I Be Low” – and talk about emotion, this song packs a punch in it’s just under four minute run.
Other choices on this collection include “She Said To Me,” “Under The Gun,” “Far Away,” and “Is It Any Wonder,” all great selections in a variety of musical styles, making this CD, one that is hard to put down. If you haven’t already gone “Global” with The Cowsills, you don’t know jack about what power-pop is all about.
09/18/98Alan Haber’s Pure Pop Review Roundup: Alan Haber melts at the sounds of the Cowsills going “Global” (Alan Haber)
Glowing effervescently with enough harmony and melody to warm even the coldest heart, The Cowsills — Susan, John, Bob and Paul — are back with a brand-new CD, “Global,” as sure a sign as there has been in quite a while that pure pop is indeed alive and well.
By any yardstick, “Global” is one of the best pop albums of the year. Its 11 songs surround you with majestic beauty. If you listen closely, you can hear the beating of the hearts of all nations, brought together by likely the most common bond of all: music that touches all souls, as one.
Like a good book, “Global” is hard to put down, hard to listen to in spurts, and easy to listen to all the way through. Its 42 minutes seep into your skin and transform you. After listening to it, you quite possibly will never be the same.
John Cowsill’s only lead vocal on “Global” kicks off the album in grand style. “I can’t wait any longer,” he sings, uttering the first lyric heard. The group’s harmony answer comes on its heels: “When is it coming, when is it coming?” The answer is, of course, “It’s here now” — that familiar, friendly sound that instantly takes you back.
But this is not retro mystery tour. This is The Cowsills, dab smack in the 90s, singing with contemporary urgency. “Under The Gun,” the second song on this album, features harmony singing from Vicki Peterson and a great lead vocal from Susan.
“She Said To Me” hits you at top speed. Featuring another lead vocal from Susan, this is a real toe tapper with as infectious a chorus as you’re likely to encounter this year. Susan’s husband, Peter Holsapple, guests on a number of songs, including the sixties-ish hum-along, “What I Believe,” written by Bob for his wife Mary Jo. Beautiful harmonies abound here. A chorus to die for is the centerpiece.
The Cowsills ramp up the power on three songs: “I Be Low,” featuring Susan on electric rhythm guitar, “Far Away,” once again featuring Susan on lead vocals, and “Rescue,” with great harmony vox on the choruses.
I think the version of “Is It Any Wonder?” included here is the same one that appeared on Yellow Pills, Vol. 1. Doesn’t matter, though: I absolutely agree that this wonderful song “…should at least be on a commercially available record by now, if not a hit single,” as Bill Holdship says in the “Global” liner notes.
The centerpiece here, to these ears, is the final cut. “Some Good Years” features this album’s most complex arrangement and maybe its smoothest, richest harmonies. It is quite a performance. “How the good shines through,” the Cowsills sing during the song, and how right they are.
“Global” is a towering achievement, a blessed event for pop fans everywhere.
Archival Articles and Reviews from 1998