The Sun
Album Review
October 28, 2005
www.thesun.co.uk
It’s easy to overlook Jackson Browne’s unassuming, confessional songs. He gives them poise and grace but they’re never eager to please. The choruses are never obvious. The arrangements lack the clichéd hooks of others. He’s been singing and writing since the late Sixties but his work always remains true to itself, unaffected by fads of the hit makers of the day.
It explains why this exquisite live album sounds fresh today, bristling with age-defying electricity yet harnessing the wisdom that four decades as a class performer can obviously bring. Many of the intimate performances are enhanced by engaging between-song banter. This is particularly effective when he fondly describes one of his earliest compositions, These Days, first recorded by The Velvet Underground’s Nico for her solo album Chelsea Girl. All phases of Browne’s solo career are represented here with particular favourites Take It Easy (a hit for the Eagles) and The Pretender shining brightly across the years. CS
‘Four’: Go for it