Writing best-selling songs for other performers (like the
Eagles, The Byrds, and Linda Ronstadt) and for himself (
Running On Empty,
Doctor My Eyes) is nothing new for Jackson Browne. He has been at it for almost 40 years. What IS new is his latest album which, unlike previous albums, is all Jackson Browne, and ONLY Jackson Browne.
Minus Distractions
It certainly isn't a bad thing that earlier albums have featured vocal harmonies from folks like David Crosby, Graham Nash, Joni Mitchell and Bonnie Raitt, and guitar players of the caliber of Ry Cooder, Steve Lukather, Jesse Ed Davis and Keb' Mo'. In addition to enhancing those recordings, it is a measure of the respect with which Browne is held by his fellow musicians.
With Solo Acoustic Vol. 1, the absence of everything but the artist, the instrument, and the audience focuses attention on Browne's voice, lyrics, and skill with guitar and piano. Though the songs are familiar (except for the previously unreleased The Birds Of St. Marks) it is almost as if we're hearing them for the first time.
The tracks on this album have been recorded at various places and times as Browne has toured. His intimate rapport with each audience is obvious, and including some of the exchanges with the audience enhances the listening experience.
A couple of the songs, and Browne's spoken intros to them, remind us that he remains a vocal political activist, both in lyrics and in his activities outside of performing.
Better With Age
He may not have quite the vocal elasticity that he did when he was younger, but Browne has lost none of his ability to "play" his voice like it was another instrument used to deliver the message and the emotion of the lyrics. Without the embellishments of studio production, tracks like
Too Many Angels and
These Days evoke a deeper, more visceral reaction in the listener.
Sure, Take It Easy was the Eagles' first hit single, but I'll put Browne's live version up against it any day. The Linda Ronstadt-Emmylou Harris-Neil Young version of For A Dancer has long been on my favorites list, but if I had heard Browne's version on this album first ... well, let's just say that nobody can interpret lyrics quite like the guy who wrote them.
More To Come?
This album is on Browne's own label, Inside Recordings, which is promising both a new studio album -- said to be already in progress -- and another Solo Acoustic release sometime in 2006. It's a good thing, because, in the time honored show business tradition, this album leaves you wanting more.
