Jackson Browne

Jackson Browne faced the nearly insurmountable task of following a masterpiece in making his second album. Having cherry-picked years of songwriting the first time around, he turned to some of his secondary older material, which was still better than most people's best and, ironically, more accessible — notably such songs as "These Days," which had been covered six times already, dating back to Nico's Chelsea Girl album in 1967, and "Take It Easy," a co-composition with the Eagles' Glenn Frey that had been a Top 40 hit for the group in 1972. Browne unsuccessfully looked for another hit single with the up-tempo "Red Neck Friend," reminisced about meeting his wife and starting a family in the coy "Ready or Not," and, at the end, finally came up with a new song to rank with those on the first album in the philosophical title track, which reportedly was his more positive reply to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's "Wooden Ships." (David Crosby sang harmony.) Musically, the album was still restrained, but not as austere as Jackson Browne, as the singer had hooked up with multi-instrumentalist David Lindley, who would introduce interesting textures to his music on a variety of stringed instruments for the next several years. All of which is to say that For Everyman was a less consistent collection than Browne's debut album. But Browne's songwriting ability remained impressive.

'Hold Out', Browne’s first album of the new decade is considered one of his minor efforts. This album was his immediate followup to Running On Empty (1977) and it was released around turning points in both the singer-songwriter’s personal life and his career. It was an album that discussed his brand new marriage (which unfortunately failed quickly) several years after the suicide of his first wife. It was also the last one with the same band he had used for most of his career. His main sideman, David Lindley, would never again be a permanent member of his group although the two would remain great friends and continue to work together often throughout the years. Also, to many in the critics circle, Hold Out began the rocker’s artistic slide even though he would retain his popularity with fans for a few more years.

"Looking Into You", the first ever tribute album honoring Jackson Browne, features a mix of Browne's old friends, fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, and younger admirers offering their own interpretations of 23 hits and album cuts from the songwriter's extensive catalog. Among those who lent their talents to this double-disc set are Ben Harper, Don Henley with Blind Pilot, Lyle Lovett, Keb' Mo', Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen & Patti Scialfa, and Lucinda Williams.

Jackson Browne's messages had always seemed so important that one tended to overlook the sheer songwriting craft that went into his work, craft that was apparent, for example, on his 1982 single "Somebody's Baby", which became his biggest hit ever (and which appears on none of his albums, only being available on the soundtrack to Fast Times at Ridgemont High), and on songs like "Downtown", a street-life portrait on his seventh album, "Lawyers in Love".

Jackson Browne continued amassing a repertoire best suited to an Amnesty International benefit on his second highly politicized album, "World in Motion". War, homelessness, and Oliver North (though not by name) were condemned; freedom, truth, and Nelson Mandela were praised. Now and then, Browne drew parallels between the personal and the political, notably in the double-edged "Anything Can Happen", but for the most part he sermonized, frequently adopting the generalized terms and reasoning that sermons usually employ.

Jackson Browne continued amassing a repertoire best suited to an Amnesty International benefit on his second highly politicized album, "World in Motion". War, homelessness, and Oliver North (though not by name) were condemned; freedom, truth, and Nelson Mandela were praised. Now and then, Browne drew parallels between the personal and the political, notably in the double-edged "Anything Can Happen", but for the most part he sermonized, frequently adopting the generalized terms and reasoning that sermons usually employ.

'Looking into You', the first ever tribute album honoring Jackson Browne, features 23 hits and deep album cuts alike from the songwriter's catalogue. So many respected musicians wanted in - from Ben Harper, Don Henley with Blind Pilot and Lyle Lovett to Keb' Mo', Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen & Patti Scialfa, and Lucinda Williams - that it had to be a double-disc set to fit them all on. The mix of old friends and younger admirers, up-and-comers and fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famers alike offer their own interpretations of Browne's songs, from his first album - 1972's 'Jackson Browne' - to 1996's politically-slanted 'Looking East.'