Originally published in
The Aquarian Weekly
October 8, 2008
Jackson Browne
Time The Conqueror
Inside Recordings
Sadly, not all of the
artists who
rose to fame in the Ô60s
and Ô70s
were able to survive the
vicissitudes of stardom.
Jackson
Browne is a survivor,
and on his
first album of new
material in six
years he sets out to
prove that he
remains a relevant,
vital
songwriter.
The first thing you
notice is the
cover image. The always
youthful
looking Browne now
sports a
graying beard, and his
once
smooth face shows signs
of age.
The title track finds
Browne
insisting that time is
still on his
side, and that Ònothing
is certain
yet.Ó ÒOff Of WonderlandÓ
takes
a look back to his time
as a
musician Òliving with an
unknown
band,Ó and finds him
wondering
why we canÕt believe in
each other
Òas much as we believed
in John.Ó
A backward glance at
squandered
opportunities informs ÒGiving
That
Heaven Away.Ó
Browne has always been
known
as an outspoken
activist. He
includes two songs here,
ÒDrums
Of WarÓ and ÒWhere Were
You?Ó
that raise critical
questions about
the conduct of the current
administration. While
they pale in
comparison to earlier
efforts like
ÒLives In The Balance,Ó
they prove
that Browne can still
carry the fire.
The songs force the
listener to
look in the mirror and
wonder
whether itÕs our
complacency that
has brought us to this
point.
This is not Jackson
BrowneÕs
best effort, but it is
certainly a solid
one that leaves no doubt
about
his continuing
capability to
produce heartfelt and
passionate
work.
In A Word:
Retrospective
Grade: B
—by Ken Shane