Events

[ROCK] Folks contend that Jackson Browne is the quintessential So-Cal singer-songwriter, but that’s really too much of a generalization. While he was certainly part of that scene as an honorary member of the Eagles (he wrote “Take it Easy”) and an early purveyor of the new, more personal viewpoint in songwriting, his structures aren’t anything like the pop of writers like Carole King and James Taylor. Browne’s non-radio material is much more sprawling like Joni Mitchell’s or Van Morrison’s, and while he’s always written about interpersonal relationships, his focus shifted (also like Mitchell’s) to more political topics as he moved into the 1980s. If there’s a thread running through his entire body of work, it might be a sense of disillusionment, i.e. dealing with the oft-inaccurate lens through which we look at our lives, our loves, and our leaders, and then weathering the fallout when the focus sharpens in hindsight. Touring regularly now into his late 60’s, Browne’s voice has deepened some and his boyish charm has given way to an elder wisdom, but he’s a consummate performer that never fails to turn in top notch performances. Coming off of a solo acoustic run this spring, Browne is joined Friday, June 24 at Seneca Niagara Casino Events Center by Val McCallum (guitar), Mauricio Lewak (Drums), Jeff Young (keyboards), Bob Glaub (bass), Alethea Mills (Vocals) and Greg Leisz (guitar, lap steel, pedal steel).

Here’s a list of five Jackson Browne songs you may not have heard before but ought to check out:

 1.  “These Days” (1973)—Though covered by everyone from 10,000 Maniacs to Gregg Allman, Browne recorded his own version in 1973. He wrote the song in his mid-teens, however, and it was debuted by Nico on her 1967 album Chelsea Girl. That a 16 year old could pen the lines “Please don’t confront me with my failures/I have not forgotten them” is evidence of keen insight to the human condition at a time in life when most guys are thinking with their other head.

 2.  ”Here Come Those Tears Again” (1976)—Written in the wake of his wife Phyllis Major’s suicide (with co-writing credit to her mom, Nancy Farnsworth), this is about as transparent as songwriting gets for a performer in the public eye.

 3.  ”Lives in the Balance” (1986) — A biting slab of socio-political commentary, the title track from Browne’s most politically-minded album focuses on the covert war in Nicaragua and arms-for-hostages tradeoff that was exposed during the Reagan administration. Browne’s distrust of government has never been more pronounced, and the acoustic version on 2005’s Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1 is delightfully stripped of the dated production value. 

 4.  ”Something Fine” (1972) — Moody and hard to pinpoint, Browne juxtaposes the monotony of daily routines with an oasis — something fine, indeed — and the blissed-out relief is palpable. Whether it’s love, spiritual redemption, or a drug high is unclear… and almost doesn’t matter. We’ll have whatever he’s having.

 5.  ”Call It a Loan” (1980) — While other writers might struggle to portray the complexities of an unintended love affair, Browne says so much with a clever metaphor: “Oh, If I’d only known…What your heart cost/Oh, can we call it a loan?/And a debt that I owe… On a bet that I lost.” Shawn Colvin’s version on the tribute disc Looking Into You is stellar.