"Homecoming" is the second studio album by America, released on 15 November 1972 through Warner Bros. Records. The album features an acoustic guitar-based sound with a greater emphasis on electric guitar and keyboards than the band's debut album. It includes the single "Ventura Highway", one of the group's most commercially successful and widely recognised songs.
"Homecoming" reached number 9 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Three singles were released from the album. "Ventura Highway" peaked at number 8 on the Billboard singles chart and number 3 on the Adult Contemporary chart. "Don't Cross the River" reached number 35 on the Billboard singles chart and number 23 on the Adult Contemporary chart. "Only in Your Heart" peaked at number 62 on the Billboard Pop singles chart. Other tracks from the album, including "To Each His Own", "California Revisited", and "Cornwall Blank", also received airplay on FM radio stations.
Beginning with "Homecoming", America adopted a naming pattern in which the titles of seven consecutive studio albums released over the following five years began with the letter H. The band's self-titled debut album was later informally associated with this sequence by some fans, who referred to it as the "Horse with No Name" album after the song was added to later pressings.
Critical reception was generally positive. In a review for AllMusic, critic David Cleary described "Homecoming" as America's finest album, while noting that some of its lyrics were occasionally banal. He nevertheless wrote that each song had merits and characterised the album as a rewarding listen. In "The Rolling Stone Album Guide", the album received a two-star rating.
Reviewing the single "Don't Cross the River", Record World described it as a more country-oriented recording than "Ventura Highway", noting its use of banjo instrumentation.
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