Jackson Browne is easily my favorite singer/songwriter. Perhaps he’s not the most obvious choice for someone of my age, but in the last few years, I’ve really come to identify with his music. Browne has been called "a thinking man’s rock star," with introspective, literate, and often deeply personal lyrics. No other artist is able to weave tune that is so sweetly poetic, and he has helped to shape the culture of the past 40 years. He has written for, collaborated with, and been covered by some of the most acclaimed musicians, including the Eagles, Bruce Springsteen, and the late Warren Zevon.
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It’s been a busy year for Browne, who earlier this year released Solo Acoustic Volume 2, a follow-up to his 2005 live greatest hits retrospective. He’s also recently released a new studio album called Time the Conqueror (the cover features a noticeably more hirsute version of Browne than I’ve ever seen). I grabbed a copy of it this weekend, and I’ve been playing it pretty much continuously ever since. Like many of his recent albums, Time is a political statement from Browne, but the album also mixes many of the bittersweet folk elements of his much earlier work. Among the best tracks on the album are the title track, as well as Arms of Night, Going Down to Cuba, and Just Say Yeah.
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With Time’s release, Browne is launching a world tour. He’ll be at Atlanta’s Tabernacle on Mon 10/27, and I hope to be there to see him perform live. I’ll keep you posted.
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– Greg
gregsedwards 