Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1 & 2

by Thom Jurek2008 was a busy year for Jackson Browne: first there was Solo Acoustic, Vol. 2 then Time the Conqueror, his first new studio offering in six years, and just in time for Christmas, this slipcase box containing both live acoustic records. The opening 28 seconds of Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1 are massive crowd applause and it's totally unnecessary. The music here speaks for itself. Whether or not one appreciates Browne's recorded catalog is immaterial; his gift as a songwriter is enigmatic, unassailable, and singular. There are 12 songs here from throughout his career, ranging from "These Days" and "For Everyman" to "Lives in the Balance" and "Looking East," and all points in between. There are numerous spoken and instrumental intros to the material; Browne is a comfortable communicator when it comes to sitting alone in front of an audience, though sometimes his humor is cynical and borders on bitter. The versions of "For a Dancer" and "The Pretender" are deeply moving, as are "These Days" and "Too Many Angels." That said, it would be easy to live without all these intros and those on the second volume, when the songs so easily speak for themselves....