"Birds" Alone is Worth the Price of Admission

I own every Jackson Browne cd that has been commercially released. With a substantial cd collection, he remains one of my favourite artists. He has however, outdone himself here. From "The Barricades of Heaven" (a song which is fair at best in its original, studio form on Looking East but terrific here) through "Take It Easy", Browne gives a scholar's lesson on songwriting and sparse arrangements. With the inclusion of "The Birds of St. Marks", the listener is treated to a gut-wrenching, soul-lifting 5 minutes of pure songwriting genius, apparently 30 years after it was written. That track alone is so good that it prompted me to write this, my first ever review of many great cds in my collection. I suppose it helps to be a Jackson Browne fan to begin with, so if you are, you should pick this up, you won't be disappointed - you should be elated. If you're not a fan yet and you like mellow music, you'll no doubt like this, but it's not necessarily the place I'd start into JB. For that I'd recommend any of "Saturate Before Using", "Late for the Sky" or "For Everyman".

Jackson Browne ISN'T Running On Empty!

From contemplative & poetic pieces of art such as The Barricades Of Heaven, Lives In The Balance or Too Many Angels, to feel good songs like Take It Easy, These Days and Bright Baby Blues (where he whips out the slide for a further demonstration of his guitar abilities - sounds like a steel guitar, track notes are sparse), the breadth of JB's personal talent (vocal, guitar, piano, songwriting) is highlighted in an effective way. Listen to how the nuances are nudged out of the original versions with a single instrument by way of a well placed chord (chord fragment) or harmony emphasis between vocal and instrumental melody - this guy is tuned in to the musical spheres. Some of the guitar arrangements are better than ever to my ears and expertly touch on every available smidgen of melody that can be wrung out of the original multi-instrument recordings. Jb's sense of timing is impeccable. I have rarely seen or heard a solo performance that does a better job of portraying the essence of a musician's vision in such a simple but beautiful way. We saw him live before the election with his full band and it was very fun (with Keb Mo and Bonnie Raitt).

Jackson Browne - Up Close & Personal

This recording, from one of the best songwriters on the planet, is like being in a small performance venue and having your own personal performance - up close and personal. With the original album/CD productions and perfections stripped away the songs take on an urgency that grips your heart and soul. This is Jackson Browne's music direct from him to you, with primarily his voice and an acoustic guitar. It is the power of simplicity and good songwriting that makes this recording great.