Jerry La Croix - The Second Coming (1974)

As you can tell from the bands he's worked with, singer Jerry LaCroix's quite a talented guy. That said, he's never managed to breakout on his own, essentially serving as kind of a 'hired gun' supporting the like of Edgar Winter and replacing better known singers in bands like Blood, Sweat and Tears (where he took over for David Clayton-Thomas) and Rare Earth (where he replaced Peter Rivera). LaCroix's own website describes him as a 'true road warrior'. In a business as tough as music, that's certainly something I'd consider a badge of honor.

LaCroix released his second (and last) solo album in 1974. Co-produced by Kenner Kerner and Richie Wise, "Second Coming" was recorded in New York, surrounding LaCroix with an all star cast of studio players. Featuring a largely original set of material (there was one cover tune), the collection did a good job of showcasing LaCroix's blue-eyed soul vocal chops. Exemplified by pounding funk numbers like 'Mean Ole World' and 'Genesis' there was simply no denying he had one of the best blue-eyed soul voices being recorded in the mid-1970s. While the performances were all technically impressive, at times the results sounded a bit clinical; LaCroix sounding somewhat detached from his surroundings. Shame he could not have recorded this with the ex-White Trash cohorts who helped him record the debut collection. 'Genesis' came close to those earlier creative zeniths, but there simply weren't enough of them to salvage the set from "also ran" status. The cover art always makes me smile ...

Unfortunately, in what proved to be a poor long term career decision, LaCroix essentially abandoned his solo career in order to replace David Clayton Thomas in Blood, Sweat and Tears. A planned tour to support his album was abandoned when he recorded 1974's "Mirror Image" with BS&T and then headed out on a world tour in support of the collection. Needless to say, Mercury management lost all interest in LaCroix's career and the album instantly disappeared into cutout bins. At the same time, the partnership with BS&T proved problematic and shortly after the tour, LaCroix quit. He briefly reappeared with Rare Earth before moving to Oregon where he dropped out of the music scene.~RDTEN1