Jackson Browne David Lindley - Love Is Strange (28 tracks) +Album Reviews

Jackson & David recorded live in Spain

William Merrill | San Antonio, TX United States | 05/12/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Love Is Strange is a welcome live release from Mr. Browne and his old buddy, "El Maestro David Lindley." It contains two CDs with 17 songs from across the two artists' careers (mostly JB's). The other tracks are intros or commentary. Their tour of Spain captured on these discs did not involve a full band, but rather various acoustic settings with the two guys accompanied by a few people playing the odd percussion, whistle or other instrument. (I did miss Lindley's legendary lap steel, which I guess didn't fit in with the format. He does play a tangy slide guitar on several songs.) Jackson is in pretty good voice, about the same as on his Solo Acoustic albums from a couple of years back. A drawback for me personally is that Mr. Browne is often talking in Spanish in the spoken segments. (The song lyrics are mostly in English.) It was admirable of him to speak in the local tongue, but it doesn't help a listener such as I who understands little of the language. Oh well... I suppose that's what the "skip ahead" button is for. Otherwise, I enjoyed this album a lot, especially "Your Bright Baby Blues" from The Pretender, my favorite Browne album, and "Call It A Loan.""

Kind of Torn

Rich in MI | 05/14/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Longtime JB fan....saw him before he released his first album actually.

I'm kind of torn here....for starters, the album is a great deal; a double CD for 11 bucks. Can't beat that. Actually if you pick and choose you can create one CD worth of great material. For the value alone it's probably a 5.

But if you take the overall content, well that's another matter.

On the plus side there are some great old Browne songs on here and some of the arrangements are very nice. I guess I liked Jackson's stuff on the first CD especially. Not Lindley's but Jackson's.

On the minus side, what's with the Spanish intros? Why have a US release where we can't understand him? For that matter, the intros contained none of the interest and humor of the intros found on the two solo acoustic albums. I could have done without them entirely. Next, what's with all of the Lindley stuff and the JB songs sung by other people? Deal breaker for me. Finally, I wasn't enamoured with a number of the arrangements and some of the songs have already been released live in different forms on the earlier acoustic albums.

I wouldn't have minded hearing a few of these with a full band as I don't feel that all of the arrangements translated well to the semi-acoustic setting.

So the bottom line is that for $11 you can probably find enough here to keep you happy. As I said above, if I could pick and choose from the list I could come away with a very solid single CD of material. If taken in its entirety though, I was a bit disappointed. I can think of five songs right off the bat that I'll never bother listening to again. There's probably 2-3 others that won't get much more than a second listen. The rest, minus the intros, I'm cool with."

So grateful to have walked through my adult life with Jackso

Mary Hilton | Baltimore, MD USA | 05/17/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Since childhood, I have loved the music of Jackson Browne. He kind of faded from my personal radar for a short time as I started and built a family. Then 9/11 happened and my life changed dramatically. Jackson ended up being a huge part of it whether he knows it or not. We started Kids for Peace Camp to teach kids about the world and issues of peace and justice facing kids in other parts of the world. His song, "It is One", has started and ended every single day of Kids for Peace at one..then two...then three..and now five locations. Other songs have been suggested over the years, but the children are fiercely loyal to "It is One". We can't wait to to end our 9th year of Kids for Peace at his concert in Baltimore this August. Entonces, Jackson, muchas gracias para su musica e su alma! Los ninos de Ninos para Pais estan muy felizes con su musica, especialmente "El mundo es unido". Thanks for a brilliant new album, with international participation, to enjoy and share!"

Brilliant - have a box of kleenex around when listening.

Martin W. Pigg | Anchorage, AK | 06/27/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First of all, I am a long time Jackson Browne fan. He has been my favorite artist since I was in High School when Running on Empty was released. His lyrics just crush it. I also respect his convictions to stand up for the less fortunate in society. His outspoken political and social viewpoints have no doubt cost him some commercial success, which I give him kudos for.

Wow. Amazing record. I expected a lot as I have always felt that many of JB's best songs involved David Lindley playing along with Jackson. Lindley is a master. On the "Going Home" DVD, there is a segment in which Lindley and Jackson Browne are taking about playing music "in the moment" and JB states that Lindley gets in that zone, every time. Lindley is gifted and a very special talent. Perhaps the most overlooked musician of the last 30 years, from a mass audience standpoint. It's a shame that more people don't know just how brilliant this guy is.

Highlights for me:

Late For The Sky. What can you say. A brilliant song. Anyone who has a pulse and has gone through the emotions of a loving someone deeply and then seeing that relationship end will be deeply moved by this version of Late for The Sky. This is where you will need the Kleenex. Jackson has probably performed this song a thousand times, and yet, you would think he was singing it for the first time. He channeled something deep here from his past on this performance. You can hear it. His vocals are remarkable. I don't often cry, but I wept when I heard this version of the song. A truly remarkable performance. Lindley nails his parts, as usual.

Your Bright Baby Blues. Best version of this song I have ever heard. They have a couple of guest musicians from Barcelona playing with them on this song and they add some very rich layers. Jackson crushes the vocals on this one.

It's so hard to come by. That feeling of peace...

Mercury Blues

Turn it up. Really Loud. I dare you not to smile. If driving while listening to this song, just hope there are no cops around as you will surely break the speed limit by a whole bunch. Costly ticket, but might be worth it.

These Days

Sung by a guest musician, Luz Casal. She sounds a bit vocally like Natalie Merchant. I missed JB's voice on this one, but she does a fine job. This song has been covered by a lot of other musicians.

Sit Down Servant

JB still has decent range. Shows nicely in this tune.

Call it a Loan

Nice harmonies on this acoustic version. Simple and stark but effective.

The Crow on The Cradle

This song hasn't been heard by many casual fans. A terrific version. Not a song to lift your spirits but it does make one ponder the possible outcome(s) of having massive military might.

The Next Voice You Hear

I like this version far more than the studio version. Some of the song song in Spanish by guest musicians. Well done.

"

Jackson Browne and David Lindley...Love Is Strange

clearancepuppy | Tennessee | 05/14/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
Jackson Browne's longtime fans and new alike will appreciate the delicate dances between expert musicians, ethereal harmonies, meaningful lyrics, and gutsy, raw accoustic guitar riffs...you will love...I mean, LOVE this live album. Set against a backdrop of a lively audience, Jackson delivers pure and true vocal performances, with David Lindley bringing his unbelievable trademark vocals and slide guitar style, which adds a deep patina only attained by years of working together on albums and on the road."

Search - Jackson Browne, David Lindley :: Love Is Strange

CD Details

Synopsis

Similar CDs

Similarly Requested CDs

CD Reviews