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The Cowsills' main claim to fame is they were the real-life family musical group (six siblings and their mother) that inspired the TV show "The Partridge Family." Now, while growing up I was not aware of The Cowsills and only discovered them by watching the 2011 documentary "Family Band: The Cowsills Story." According to the documentary, their father was their manager and was a cruel, vindictive, abusive alcoholic.
The Cowsills had hits like "The Rain, the Park and Other Things," a psychedelic pop take on the title song from the musical "Hair," and a version of the theme from the TV show "Love American Style," among others. The Cowsills also can claim a spot in sports history as they sang the national anthem at Game 4 of the 2004 American League Championship Series where the Boston Red Sox began their unprecedented comeback from being 0-3 to beat the New York Yankees.
Honestly, I only listened to their new album on a whim and I was surprised to find I kinda enjoyed most of it. It's strummy, has wonderful harmonies that often only siblings can pull off and some strong tunes like "You Gotta Get Up!," "Lend a Hand" and "Every Little Secret." What would have been the A side of the album back in the day is the better part and it kind of peters out near the end, but overall, not bad stuff from the former bubblegum popsters. Two stars out of four.
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