The first album to be released after Richie left the band was Poco Seven. They started recording it in February 1974 and it was released on April 12th. According to Rusty Young - "Seven was a real challenge because we wanted to show that Paul and Tim were both great writers and singers." Timothy wrote 3 songs, Just Call My Name, Skatin' and Krikkit's Song(Passing Through). The album reached #68 on the charts. Following is a review by Bob Grossweiner:
"When Richie Furay left Poco to join John David Souther and Chris Hillman, it looked like an uphill battle for the group. To many people, his fine songwriting ("C'mon," "Kind Woman," "A Good Feelin' to Know"), sparkling high-pitched vocals, driving lyric guitar work and overall charisma were Poco. He split because Poco was never a commercial success (no hit single and no gold) even though they were a huge concert attraction. After much soul searching, it was decided not to replace Richie.
" Seven" in many ways must be construed as an album by a new group. Basically, it is a guitar, bass, drums and pedal steel combination, but to compensate for that fifth member, steel guitarist Rusty Young doubles on banjo, dobro, rhythm, acoustic and electric guitars-thus the steel plays a lesser role. The new Poco plays harder rock'n roll, and their stunning harmonies are missing that vital soprano edge; still, "Seven" has the consistancy of the previous six lps: they are all good.
In the absence of Furay's innocent, poetic love songs, guitarist Paul Cotton has taken over the major songwriting chores. His opening "Drivin' Wheel," a tune about motivating a boat (or a group) packs a lot of old-fashioned Poco spunk with his guitar (as well as the overdubs) driving over George Grantham's insistent percussion, and those ethereal harmonies put everything into perspective. "Angel" contains his most thought provoking lyrics. "Pleasure seeker/new lover reaper/I've heard you're quite a nighttime keeper." But the pristine "Faith in the Families," with Tim Schmit's deep bass coloring the mood brilliantly, comes across a bit bland due to some spotty production. His closing "You've Got Your Reasons" struts a tougher pounding than Poco has shown, until strings come in and mellow things out a bit.
Schmit continues to write about one of his favorite themes: broken love. "Just Call My Name" combines a churning groove and "hot" production with some of his most telling lyrics: "How do you live with all your secrets? How does it feel to live a life of disguise you know ain't right?" He becomes more optimistic in "Krikkit's Song (Passing Through) as a traveler (a rock 'n roll star?) returning to an old flame for a one-night stand. It is a lovely tune, the moment of the album.
Perhaps to solidify their group identity, this album contains only Poco originals (they covered John Cale, Stephen Stills and Gram Parsons on their last two). Young's laid-back "Rocky Mountain Breakdown" provides diversity but lacks the punch a good live hoe-down could give, especially with Jim Messina guesting here on mandolin and Al Garth on fiddle.
Minor misgivings notwithstanding, "Seven" will still bring joy to many Poco fans. But the question remains: How will they perform live as a quartet, and will Young's mercurial pedal steel work get lost in the shuffle?"
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