Looking into You: A Tribute to Jackson Browne [2014][FLAC]

FLAC / Lossless / Log (100%) / Cue
Label/Cat#: Music Road Records #MRRCD 018
Country: USA
Year: April 1, 2014
Genre: Americana
Format: 2xCD, Compilation


Disc One

1. These Days - Don Henley w/ Blind Pilot
2. Everywhere I Go - Bonnie Raitt and David Lindley
3. Running On Empty - Bob Schneider
4. Fountain Of Sorrow - Indigo Girls
5. Doctor My Eyes - Paul Thorn
6. For Everyman - Jimmy LaFave
7. Barricades Of Heaven - Griffin House
8. Our Lady Of The Well - Lyle Lovett
9. Jamaica Say You Will - Ben Harper
10. Before The Deluge - Eliza Gilkyson
11. For A Dancer - Venice
12. Looking Into You - Kevin Welch

Disc Two

1. Rock Me On The Water - Keb' Mo'
2. The Pretender - Lucinda Williams
3. Rosie - Lyle Lovett
4. Something Fine - Karla Bonoff
5. Too Many Angels - Marc Cohn feat. Joan As Police Woman
6. Your Bright Baby Blues - Sean and Sara Watkins
7. Linda Paloma - Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa
8. Call It A Loan - Shawn Colvin
9. I'm Alive - Bruce Hornsby
10. Late For The Sky - Joan Osborne
11. My Opening Farewell - JD Souther


Jackson Browne epitomized the image of the early '70s Southern California folk/rock troubadour and along with The Eagles, J.D. Souther and Linda Ronstadt, defined the sound. Mixing up Byrd-style acoustic/electric jangle, literate introspective lyricism and that particularly "peaceful, easy" brand of strummy chord progressions, Browne's extra fine first four albums set the bar for sensitive songcraft that could transition from intimate club to arena stage setting. New double-length tribute album Looking Into You (April 1) gathers up 23 Browne songs from an impressive array of performers including Bruce Springsteen, Ben Harper, Bonnie Raitt, Shawn Colvin and Lyle Lovett and wisely stays true to the intent and feel of the original compositions while allowing each singer his or her unique style and approach. One of our faves is also one of Browne's best and most emotionally centered songs, the brilliant "Late for the Sky" delivered with a calm, innately soulful interpretation by Joan Osborne.
Split fairly neatly between his contemporaries and those who followed in his footsteps, Looking into You: A Tribute to Jackson Browne is a generous tribute to the quintessential singer/songwriter, running 23 songs over the course of two CDs. In all that space, the producers don't find much room for Browne's lighter moments -- his new wave and soft rock flirtations of the early '80s are absent, there's no "Somebody's Baby" or "Tender Is the Night," nor is the road warrior of Running on Empty emphasized, although Texan homebody Bob Schneider sings that album's title track -- and the predilection for ruminative introspection eventually gets a little heavy, but on a track-by-track basis this collection is very good. Perhaps Browne's contemporaries fare the best -- Bonnie Raitt and David Lindley team for a fine "Everywhere I Go," J.D. Souther sings "My Opening Farewell," Bruce Springsteen and wife Patti Scialfa team for "Linda Paloma," and Karla Bonoff resurfaces with "Something Fine" -- but there are also nice turns by Lyle Lovett ("Our Lady of the Well"), Paul Thorn ("Doctor My Eyes"), Sean & Sara Watkins ("Your Bright Baby Blues"), and the surprise duo of Joan as Police Woman and Marc Cohn ("Too Many Angels"). If there are no knockouts here, the sly, subtle approach also emphasizes the fine craft of Browne, which is a nice thing to say about a tribute album.