The title's confusing. "San Francisco Mabel Joy" is not on this record; that classic is still on the Mercury album. But don't get hostile to the obvious bait, it's new Mickey Newbury and it's a fine record.

To some Mickey Newbury is an acquired taste. But like other artists you might say that about, if you get into Mickey Newbury you can really get hooked. He's country, but he's got the qualities of a soul artist–"heart artist." Kris Kristofferson says in his excellent descriptive liner notes on the previous Mercury album. He writes of sentiments and feelings in an almost innocent way, not embarrassed to go to the source. He's never mawkish. He's cathartic and his melodies clear the head of clutter. And can he ever sing. First he's sweet like an angel, but then he dips sexily into the lower register or a faster tempo.

Dennis Linde, who produced this album, is a talent in his own right. He did a good job, though I think there's sometimes gilt on the lily with too much chorus, too heavy orchestral accents–but those accents are usually, surprisingly, right. There's some of the rain and train effects here that were on the Mercury album, pleasant segues. There are two brief "interludes." I would have wanted the instrumental interlude on Side I to be cut and the additional verse of "'Frisco Depot" (a great song) to be worked in–the enclosed lyric sheet has one that the record omits.

Newbury sometimes writes asymmetrically. His songs are stories with occasional changes in meter or melody–it's as if the construction has to fit the idea. His ideas are ones we know. As he gets close to the women in his songs, they become "baby," but the baby is a reference to the soul inside ("when the baby in my lady gets the blues," or in another song "the bright light lady they've taken the baby from you").

He's a master of the ballad, but that's not to say he can't rock. In particular, we have "Mobile Blue" and "How I Love Them Old Songs" here. Naturals for country rock and roll. They'll be picked up- he's written enough songs for others, from Tom Jones to Jerry Lee Lewis. ("Swiss Cottage Place," on Side Two, was originally recorded by Roger Miller.)

Newbury's voice quality on this Elektra album is superior to that of the Mercury record. To me, he is a major talent. I'm not sure that we need a whole lot more of Jesus and a lot less rock and roll. Good rock and roll is always all to the good. But we do need more gentleness and warmth delivered with artistry and Mickey Newbury would be nice to hear more often. With provincial barriers (constructed from within the field and without) of country music falling fast, he should get the national recognition he's due. (RS 96)

KARIN BERG