Southern Pacific tried to cross country and rock, sometimes with mixed results. Born from the ashes of the Doobie Brothers and Emmylou Harris’ Hot Band, Southern Pacific’s eponymous debut doesn’t have a bad cut on it. Rock songs like Tom Petty’s “Thing About You” and “Luann,” which was written by Lou Gramm and Mick Jones of Foreigner, dove-tail nicely with original cuts and more standard country fare from the likes of Rodney Crowell (“Bluebird Wine”) and Chuck Pyle (“Jaded Lover”). In all, the album is a very promising first effort. – James Chrispell
