Album of the Day

If the 1970s singer-songwriter movement is most closely associated with Southern California, the East Coast had a strong representative in Jim Croce. The Philadelphia-born troubadour brought an urban directness and a gentle sense of humor to the music – along with a colorful cast of characters. His fourth studio album, LIFE AND TIMES, profiles a “Roller Derby Queen,” “Speedball Tucker” and “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” (which went to No.1 on the U.S. singles chart on this day in 1973). Though no one was better at these amiable story-songs, Croce could also break your heart with intimate ballads like “These Dreams,” and the unerring balance he maintains between these moods makes LIFE AND TIMES one of the performer's very best albums.