Music review: Jackson Browne – ‘Standing in the Breach鈥�
For his first album since 2008鈥檚 鈥淭ime the Conqueror,鈥� Jackson Browne reveals another intimate set of arrangements voicing the 66-year-old artist鈥檚 perspective on current social and political issues.
Browne鈥檚 warm and welcoming vocals confidently cradle each number with a purposeful presence as the album serves as a personal reflection on relationships, environmental concerns and misguided political practices.
On his 14th studio album, Browne opens with the melodically elegant 鈥淭he Birds of St. Marks.鈥� Originally written by Browne in 1967, the arrangement has been performed and captured live but never recorded in a studio. The infectious hooks of 鈥淵eah Yeah鈥� bring to mind other Browne classics like 鈥淒octor My Eyes鈥� and 鈥淩ock Me on the Water鈥� from his 1972 debut release.
At times, Browne seems to draw weary of the difficult circumstances that lie ahead. 鈥淭ake the money out of politics and maybe we might see/This country turn back into something more like democracy,鈥� sings Browne on 鈥淲hich Side鈥� as he directs his anger toward the dangerous influence of money鈥檚 stranglehold on Washington and Wall Street.
鈥淵ou Know the Night鈥� features Browne turning one of Woody Guthrie鈥檚 unpublished love letters into a touching arrangement detailing the complexities of maintaining a strong and vibrant relationship.
On 鈥淟eaving Winslow,鈥� Browne gives a nod and a wink to the Arizona town he first mentioned in the hit he co-wrote with Glenn Frey. With 鈥淭ake It Easy,鈥� Browne was simply standing on a corner as a girl in a flatbed Ford slows down to get a closer look. Now, the singer looks to board the next train out of town and quietly disappear without being noticed.
鈥淗ere鈥� gently draws the album to a delicate close as Browne sings about love lost, vulnerability and the struggle to move forward.
With 鈥淪tanding in the Breach,鈥� the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer crafts his finest album since 1996鈥檚 鈥淟ooking East.鈥�
Clint Rhodes is the 缅北禁地 music reviewer. He can be reached at crhodes@heraldstandard.com.