The Kingston Trio's ninth album, and the next to last original LP featuring
Dave Guard in the lineup,
Make Way is a beautiful if relatively low-key selection of a dozen songs, mostly traditional tunes adapted by the group. "Utawena" is a great vocal showcase for
Nick Reynolds (and also features
Mongo Santamaria and Willie "Bobo" Colon on percussion), who also adapted the subdued, hauntingly lovely "The River Is Wide." "Speckled Roan" is a particularly effective
Dave Guard-featured track authored by
Jane Bowers, on which the soon to be departed
Guard not only turns in one of his most beautifully expressive vocals but delivers a gorgeous guitar duet with
David "Buck" Wheat. "Blow the Candle Out" was
Bob Shane's major featured number, a quietly elegant performance with a gorgeous melody and some of the most restrained playing in the history of the original trio. The ensemble singing on "Come All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies" is among their best collective vocal performances, made all the more beautiful by
Wheat's elegant guitar accompaniment. The liveliest songs were confined to the wrong places on the album, on the second side and away from the leadoff position, including their version of
Antonio Fernandez's "En el Agua (Maria Christina)," the drinking song "Jug of Punch," and "Bonnie Hielan' Laddie," with "Blue Eyed Gal" closing out the album, which reached number two on the charts despite its having no single A-side on it.
–
Bruce Eder, Rovi