Judy Collins embraces the 1970s

After breaking from straight folk with 1968’s In My Life, Collins continued to explore new sounds and song sources. This, her first album of the 1970s, masterfully mixes disparate material from contemporary folkies Dylan, Baez and Seeger, an Irish nationalist ballad, an Aaron Kramer poem set to music by her keyboardist Michael Sahl, a double-dip into the catalog of Jacques Brel, a two-part original, and several original arrangements of traditional tunes. It’s a more idiosyncratic collection than her earlier albums, heightened by varied recording locations that each provides a unique sonic ambiance. The result isn’t always cohesive from song to song, but Collins voice is so singularly beautiful, and her talent for interpretation so strong, that the individual pieces merit listening. The opening trio of songs, “A Song for David,” “Sons of” and “The Patriot Game,” meditate on different aspects of war: those whose principles lead them away from the fight, those who soldier on for the good cause, and those who die. Her vocal on Seeger’s “Oh, Had I A Golden Thread” soars with gospel emotion above its country-tinged piano, bass and guitar backing, and humpback whale and ocean sounds provide then-contemporary backing for the traditional whaling song “Farewell to Tarwathie.” “Simple Gifts,” a nineteenth century Shaker hymn, and a Top-20 a cappella take on “Amazing Grace” bring Collins back to simpler arrangements that revel in the soul of the human voice. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]