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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best from one of the best, 22 April 2006
Janis Ian has the knack of creating songs which I just can't get out of my head. It doesn't always happen straightaway - sometimes when I first listen to a new CD I'm not sure whether I like it. But after a few listens I find myself humming the tunes and even singing the songs to myself on the tube to work. That's what's happened with her latest CD. As is often the way, I'm not that keen on the first song, but the second one, 'The Great Divide', is a masterpiece, with brilliant lyrics, a message, and a catchy tune. 'Jackie Skates' had me wondering what the song is about and 'All Those Promises' and 'Standing in the Shadows of Love' are melancholy, bluesy and ooze emotion. Janis has often been accused of being depressing - indeed she has alluded to this on her fantastic double live album 'Working Without a Net' - but this CD contains three songs streaked through with humour, 'The Crocodile Song' which she wrote after a visit to the zoo with her grandchildren, 'Folk is the New Black' and 'My Autobiography'. Few singers have as interesting a history as Janis and we await her autobiography with interest - she's taking next year off from touring to write it. Ah well, we won't see her in the UK next year, but the book will certainly be worth it - her writing style is as good as her songs, her singing and her guitar playing. There isn't a dud song on the CD. If you haven't heard her before, get this CD, order 'Working Without a Net' and if she ever comes close to where you live, grab the opportunity. She's a wonderfully warm person and a brilliant performer. You won't be disappointed. Just a few words from a newspaper review of her Brighton gig earlier this week - "Her emotive songs were beautifully constructed" "fascinating and magical." "this wonderful concert " " a rich reward " " a rare opportunity....And a great privilege."
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best albums of her career, 23 Feb 2006
Anyone who knows the work of Janis Ian will know how she can tug at the heart strings with one song, court political controversy with the next song and raise a chuckle with the one after.That she is still making her music, still setting her own agenda 40 years after her debut as a child prodigy, is testament to her talent. This album, however, has to stand out as one of the best of her career. The raw emotion of the vocals, all recorded live, runs the gamet of emotion from sorrow to anger and on to humour. The nakedness of the arrangements just adds to the power of the lyrics on every song. Standout tracks for me are "The Drowning Man", a sad tale of a man drinking himself to death; "Danger Danger" a song about the hypocrisy of sections of American society who rail against gays and ethnic minorites whilst saying nothing against the obscene levels of violence in modern society, and the tongue in cheek "My Autobiography" one of a couple of humorous songs on the album which come at just the right time to break the seriousness of the rest. You will not be disappointed.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Janis Ian pushes all the right buttons - again!, 24 Feb 2006
This eagerly awaited CD doesn't disappoint! Fifteen newly self-penned tracks, shining through with Ian's amazing knack of writing the soundtrack to all our lives.
"The Great Divide" documents modern society's shortcomings, while "Joy" and "All Those Promises" echo back to Janis' classic hit albums, Between the Lines and Aftertones. The Crocodile Song is such fun, and the self-deprecating humour in the tongue in cheek "My Autobiography" will have you laughing out loud.
There is too much to say here about each of the tracks, it just speaks for itself. Buy it.
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