Primarily remembered as lead vocalist with The Blues Project during the mid-60s, this littleheard solo album, originally released on Verve, opens the door to a side of Tommy Flanders that has little to do with anything overtly bluesy.
Flanders had originally appeared alongside Al Kooper and future Blood, Sweat & Tears guitarist Steve Katz on The Blues Project’s 1966 debut album Live At Cafe Au Go Go. By the time it was released, however, he had already left. Later signing to Verve, Flanders released three singles on their parent label MGM between 1967 and ’70. This, his sole solo LP, hit the racks in 1969. Featuring contributions from a host of top West Coast session men, The Moonstone inhabits the laidback world of late 60s folk-rock with abundant echoes of Tim Hardin. The title track, however, hints at something all together darker, courtesy of the combination of fuzz guitar and psychedelic organ. It’s by far the album’s most memorable moment, to the extent that other mildly interesting tracks are completely dwarfed by it. Though pleasant in an undemanding and thoroughly unremarkable way, The Moonstone is just too mellow, slight and frankly soporific for its own good.
