It probably wasn’t fair of people to expect Harry Chapin to come up with a follow-up just as powerful as “Cats In The Cradle,” but indeed it seemed like he was expected to force lightning to strike twice. And, for the remainder of his life, Chapin seemed doomed to chase after that elusive second smash hit. (And he did score two top 50 songs in “Taxi” and “W*O*L*D.”)

On The Road To Kingdom Come, Chapin’s sixth studio effort (and first since the success of his live disc Greatest Stories: Live), continues that chase. And while there are some powerful performances on this album, it pales in comparison to his high-water marks, and ends up being a disappointment.

The sole single from this disc, “Corey’s Coming,” failed to crack the charts—which, to be honest, is the greatest disappointment, as this is a prime example that Chapin still had the power to pack a powerful story into a song. A love song based upon stories an outsider living in a railroad yard told to a younger man, it captures the emotion and pathos that rightfully made Chapin a household name. Is it on the same tier as his big hits? No... but it’s no slouch, either.

The only other song that has this level of power is, admittedly, one whose impact escaped me for a long time. “The Mayor Of Candor Lied” returns Chapin to epic song-length territory; clocking in at eight and a half minutes, the tale of a farmer who falls in love with the mayor’s daughter, only to have her kept away from him despite his attempt to blackmail the mayor, this has more twists and turns than a rollercoaster. If you’re not paying attention to the story, quite honestly, you’re going to miss the whole tale.

Unfortunately, these songs remain the highlights of On The Road To Kingdom Come. The remainder of the tracks range from the forgettably pleasant (“If My Mary Were Here,” “Caroline”) to the outright forgettable (“On The Road To Kingdom Come,” “Laugh Man,” “Roll Down The River”). Chapin’s past discography is ample proof that he was capable of far better work; this disc, unfortunately, doesn’t reflect this.

Perhaps tasting success made the label want Chapin to expand the sound of his songs (not to mention churn out the music like an assembly line) in order to hold onto the ear of the pop music listener. Perhaps Chapin was struggling to come up with high quality material in a short period of time. The truth is, we’ll never know, Chapin having perished in a car crash in 1981 at the age of 38.

On The Road To Kingdom Come is one album in Chapin’s discography that not many people remember. With one or two exceptions, it doesn’t do much to demand to be recognized, much less played on a regular basis. This one, I’m sorry to say, is for the completists only.

Rating: C-

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