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Time The Conqueror Album Reviews 
Jackson Browne's Time The ConquerorLooks Back With An Eye To The Future by Russ Paris August 27, 2008 Time the Conqueror, to be released on September 23, 2008 on the Inside Recordings label, is JACKSON BROWNE's first new studio album of all new material in six years. In the interim, he has delivered two well-received solo acoustic albums covering highlights from his 40-year musical career. The first acoustic collection was nominated for a Grammy Award. Also since his last studio CD, Jackson Browne has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, received the ASCAP Founder's Award, been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and received the Harry Chapin Memorial Humanitarian Award. (Not to mention being presented with the very prestigious John Steinbeck Award, which he won just prior to his last album's release.) All of these accolades come four decades into a successful career marked by some of the most lyrically enriching songs of the rock and roll era and a loyal fan base that bridges generations. Certainly, the well-earned recognitions heaped upon him in recent years have given Jackson Browne time to reflect on his life and career. The results are evident in this very solid new collection of songs. Time the Conqueror is a showpiece that both supports and contradicts its title. It is a collection of songs that is both nostalgic and current in its lyrics and music. The songs often look backward at both his esteemed musical career as well as his life. They do so with a fondness and appreciation, but without longing or regret. As with any Jackson Browne album, there is a mixing of the appreciation of love and life with the harsher realities of the world around us. The stellar musicianship on the CD is due in no small part to Jackson's band of the past fifteen years: Kevin McCormick (bass), Mark Goldenberg (guitar), Mauricio "Fritz" Lewak (drums), and Jeff Young (keyboards and backing vocals), along with two "new" members, Chavonne Morris and Alethea Mills (backing vocals). The CD starts off with the title track. The feel of the song immediately brings to mind "Some Bridges" and "Alive In The World" from 1996's Looking East album. The backing vocals of Chavonne Morris and Alethea Mills are quite prominent on the track and are often featured throughout the album -- to great effect and without overshadowing the fact that this is a Jackson Browne album. "Time the Conqueror" is literally a look at the world around us and could be taken as a simple plea to stop and look at how wonderful the universe is around us. It also acknowledges that time moves on and just by doing so it forces us to grow up and make decisions about who we are and what we want to become. At a deeper level it asks us to question our choices as Jackson reminds us that "nothing is certain yet" and that there is still "time to decide what kind of world I believe in." "Off Of Wonderland" is reminiscent of "The Barricades Of Heaven" from Looking East and "About My Imagination" from 2002's The Naked Ride Home yet harkens all the way back to 1973's "For Everyman" which is literally referred to in the song. There's a reminiscence of the great times of the past, as he sings, "there was change in the air, it was love everywhere, living off of wonderland... didn't we believe in love?" If he is indeed looking back at his life, he seems to be seeing mostly good times and is appreciative of the years and times that have come before... but he is also asserting that those same good times are continuing today, if only we would take the time to look at life and realize it: "Do you feel it today? Love is still the way." "The Drums Of War" is a starkly political song that quickly reminds us that however cheery Jackson's outlook on life might be, he has never stopped caring about the social and political landscape that surrounds us all. After the first two songs, this is a strong shift in the sound of the collection. The song has a much harsher feel with a driving beat that again features the vocal chorus of his backup singers. The song acknowledges and laments the current divide in the American people pointing out that "whatever you believe the necessary course to be, depends on who you trust to identify the enemy." The song also deplores the current administration's policies questioning: "Who gives the orders for tortures? Who lies then bombs then calls it an error? Who makes a fortune from fighting terror? Who is the enemy of truth and justice? Who is the enemy of peace and freedom? Where are the courts now when we need them? Why is impeachment not on the table?" Following the first two songs, the message of "The Drums Of War" is even more poignant. We've been living in great times, but we could lose it all if we don't stand up for what we believe in. Stand up for peace; stand up for truth and righteousness. We need to remember that there are still wars going on and we need to appreciate the sacrifices of our best and brightest. "Where Were You" is very reminiscent of Jackson Browne's more recent songs like "The Next Voice You Hear," "Information Wars" and "Culver Moon," again from the Looking East album. It features the soulful voice of Jeff Young quite prominently. The song is a direct interrogation of the current administration questioning, "Where were you?" during Katrina and its aftermath. But it's also a call to the people to rectify the problems asking, "how long do we imagine we will be free?" The song demands action for the sake our present and future. It's all too easy to picture a music video for this song with the accompanying images of Katrina's destruction. "Going Down To Cuba" is a plea for freedom. In this particular case a call for freedom to travel to anyplace you might wish to go. I'm going down to Cuba to see my friendsLike most of the songs in this compendium of tunes, there's a common thread in a positive belief that we can make a difference and we can overcome our problems and our differences. Those who have often lamented that Jackson Browne's songs can be depressing are missing the silver lining he includes in most of his lyrics. He is a master at subtly placing serious lyrics to an upbeat melody or a somber verse with a buoyant chorus. "Giving That Heaven Away" is another wistful look backwards, "in the flower of sweet youth our days of heaven was spent" and "I'm looking around for the 60's sound, those days are gone" give way to "back in those days we all were so crazy" as Jackson brings the perspective back to the present. He even peaks into the future with the cry "I'm gonna go down singing!" "Live Nude Cabaret" is an enchanting, if somewhat ghostly, tribute to the female form and spirit. Only Jackson Browne can turn a trip to a live nude cabaret into an analysis of form and function, and make it sound sweet and romantic at the same time! "Just Say Yeah" harkens back to "Of Missing Persons" from 1980's Hold Out and "Somebody's Baby" from 1982's Fast Times at Ridgemont High in its sound and energy. But it's really an update on "Ready Or Not" from 1973's For Everyman album. Like "Ready Or Not," it's a story of the beginning of a relationship with all of the hopes, passions, and insecurities that arise from such circumstances. Thirty-five years on, it's a song with much more maturity behind it, yet it still captures the childlike innocence and excitement of a new liaison. Jackson Browne rarely talks about the meanings of his song. He has said that he believes that listeners should discover their own meaning in the lyrics. Certainly this reviewer's analysis should not be taken as anything more than one person's initial attempts to grasp some significance in a work that took several years to create and is likely to be analyzed and studied by fans of lyrical poetry for generations. Jackson Browne's recent solo acoustic concerts and CDs certainly were evidence that Jackson is proud and comfortable with his musical past. In spite of its title and subject matter, this album doesn't really look back so much as it moves us forward. For those who have followed the development and growth of Jackson Browne's career, this is a very solid progression in the direction of his last several studio releases. It's an album that is likely to grow on the listener with each playing. Certainly each time I've listened to it, I've enjoyed it more. Many of the songs on Time The Conqueror take a look both backward and to the present. We've all come a long way in the past 40 years, and it's been nice having the music of Jackson Browne to keep us company along the path.
Jackson Browne: Running on Plentyfrom The Sunday Times by Paul Sexton September 21, 2008 On a solo acoustic live album that came out earlier this year, Jackson Browne makes his audience an offer. "I could sing you a really tender song filled with despair," he deadpans, "or a really weary song laced with hope. What's your pleasure?" His chuckle underlines that the question is more self-mocking than self-reverential, but Browne's followers crowned him king of both styles more than 35 years ago, and they hear no reason for him to be deposed in 2008. To some, he has the misfortune to represent some time-warped embodiment of the sun-kissed Californian troubadour. Such an idle supposition is mocked by an artist who still combines confessionals of universal resonance with, let's be old-fashioned about this, protest songs. His new album, Time the Conqueror, a first studio release in half a dozen years, has him singing in cheery celebration of his long-term relationship with the artist Dianna Cohen. But it also has him railing against the American government's response to Hurricane Katrina, on Where Were You, the hypocrisy of its cultural embargo, on Going Down to Cuba, and what he sees as the brazen lawlessness of its foreign policy, on The Drums of War. Continued at: http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk
Veteran Songwriter 'Conquers" The Timesfrom The Heights by Evan Miller September 25, 2008 Jackson Browne, one of rock 'n' roll's veterans, is back. His new album Time the Conqueror, a 10-song collection of acoustic ballads and blues, relays the thoughts and feelings of a venerable poet clinging on to musical virility while coping with a constantly changing and tumultuous world. Browne uses his prowess as a songwriter and a poet to elevate the hackneyed rhythms and cobblestone melodies of many of the tracks. Throughout the album, Browne touches upon many deep and heartfelt themes, such as the inexorable nature of time in the album's first and title track, and the haunting beauty of feminine sexuality and perfection in "Live Nude Cabaret." The ultimate effect of Browne's lyrical mastery is to give the album a strong sense of individuality. The album's personality is also enhanced by this beatnik's unique knack for nuance. Throughout the album, Browne's cigarette-and-whiskey voice is lacquered by sweet sopranos, adding gentleness to his gritty twang. What the lead guitar lacks in intensity and thrill, it makes up for in timing and tone. The acoustic, glassy background of many of his songs is scratched by the biting timbre of distorted guitars. The steely sounds of the guitars complement Browne's similarly metallic voice, evoking that parallel serenity of guitar and voice as only a rock legend can. Continued at: http://media.www.bcheights.com
Jackson Browne's career running on fullfrom Recordnet.com by Tony Sauro September 25, 2008 It required a double-take to recognize Jackson Browne on the cover of his new CD. Shrouded in darkness, he's masked by reflector shades and a wispy gray beard. Though he turns 60 on Oct. 9, the years have done nothing, however, to age the Los Angeles singer-songwriter's youthful, yearning voice or dim his anger and idealism. On "Time the Conqueror," his first studio album since 2002, he mixes typically thoughtful and melodic reflections on romance and the passage of time with biting songs of outrage and disillusionment. Continued at: http://www.recordnet.com
Jackson Browne is still running, but hardly on emptyThe Los Angeles Times by Geoff Boucher September 28, 2008 THE NOISE at the Santa Monica Pier was deafening -- the screech of metal cars on the roller coaster, the laughter of teenagers, the tinny symphony of bells, whistles and buzzers from the boardwalk booths and bass-heavy pop songs blaring from unseen speakers. Above it all, a serene Jackson Browne sat in a slowly swaying gondola atop the Ferris wheel and looked out on the Pacific and the past. "I used to come down here a lot when I was a kid. I grew up in Highland Park until I was about 13. It was a long way on a city bus, a couple of hours. It was the early 1960s and a lot of the vatos would be here from South Central. I tried to win teddy bears and talk to girls. I lost my father's straight-edge razor once on the roller coaster. It slipped out of my tanker jacket pocket. I used to carry the razor, a dog chain, a pack of Lucky Strikes. A tough guy, huh?" Browne, perhaps the prettiest of pretty boys on the Southern California songwriter scene in the 1970s, chuckled at the memory. He is now a year shy of 60 and just released his first studio album in six years, which has the sobering title of "Time the Conqueror" and a black-and-white cover photo of Browne with a silver beard and menacing expression. This biker version of Browne, in fact, looks like he might be packing a blade again. Continued at: www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-ca-browne28-2008sep28,0,5906359.story
Singer-songwriter Jackson Browne still making wake-up callsThe Dallas Morning News by Michael Granberry October 27, 2008 On the cover of Time the Conqueror, Mr. Browne sports a beard flecked with gray. He sees the record as acceptance of the fact that "life is temporary. The acceptance of that brings a lot of gifts. You don't have forever, so you have to come to the point." What ensues is a highly energetic album with songs shaped by a band whose oldest members began playing with Mr. Browne 15 years ago. Its newest performers are a pair of background vocalists, Chavonne Morris and Alethea Mills, women in their early 20s who are graduates of an inner-city school in Los Angeles that brims with talent. The album is a clever interweaving of the personal and the political, including "The Drums of War," "Where Were You," which probes President Bush's response to Hurricane Katrina, and "Going Down to Cuba," whose subtlety is driven home largely through humor. Continued at: www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/stories/DN-browne_1028gd.State.Edition1.2a7949a.html |