They are IMO one of the few groups that gets it all right. Melody, harmony, catchy hooks and a distinctive sound. You KNOW when it’s America.
To me, there’s nothing they do ‘exceptional’. It’s just a total package coming together thing. There are far better players, singers etc. But they do it all at a level that just fits so well together.
For the genre, I don’t think Sister Golden Hair CAN be topped. And as a piece of music alongside the rest, it holds up well.
My favorites (in order) are:
Ventura Highway
Daisy Jane
Sister Golden Hair
A Horse With No Name
Today’s The Day
Lonely People
I Need You
You Can Do Magic
Tin Man
I believe ‘You Can Do Magic’ was not written by America, but they definitely made the song a hit with their style. I remember being floored upon hearing their first hit, ‘A Horse With No Name’, as a freshman in my dorm room at Penn State. I knew then this was a special band. Then it was hit after hit, all through the ‘70s, all through college. I just loved that band. ‘Tin Man’ was also very easy to play on guitar, so I had to throw that one into my top 9. I think the only “hit” they had that I didn’t care for was ‘Sandman’.
By the way, I think I read that Dan Peek died recently.