Back Pages

Released in 2011, Back Pages is the sixteenth studio album by America, consisting entirely of cover versions of songs that influenced founding members Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell. Recorded at Ocean Way Studio in Nashville and produced by Fred Mollin, the album features a sophisticated palette of session musicians that lend a polished, adult-contemporary feel to the arrangements. The tracklist is a curated journey through the Great American Songbook of the rock era, featuring interpretations of Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, Joni Mitchell, and James Taylor. Notably, the album includes 'A Road Song,' a track originally by Fountains of Wayne, showing the band's willingness to look beyond their own era for inspiration. Critics generally viewed the album as a tasteful, well-executed project that played to the band's strengths - specifically their vocal arrangements - while noting its safe, non-confrontational approach to the source material.