On the surface, Easter Island might seem far from Kris Kristofferson's rowdy outlaw-country beginnings. His sound gained an increasingly radio-friendly feel in the mid-to-late '70s, with romantic ballads like "Forever In Your Love" echoing the glistening sounds of the era's AM pop. But beneath the album’s smooth sheen lies some of Kristofferson’s most intense, complex lyrical work, heard most prominently on bluesy tunes like "The Sabre and the Rose" and the title track.