Billy Swan: Billy Swan (Monument PZ-34183)

BILLY SWAN'S music is a baptism of rhythm. Two years ago, when America heaved morbidly beneath the weight of Watergate and encroaching poverty, Swan's 'I Can Help' was the only state-of-the-union message worth listening to. There was nothing openly political, nothing topical in 'I Can Help', but that was most of its magic. "If your child needs a daddy, I can help," sang Swan, pumping meter in on a tide of savior rhythm, and instantly you realized that this guy knew what Elvis knew and what Jerry Lee knew and what the rest of the country didn't know.