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Various Artists - Born To The Breed: A Tribute To Judy Collins
Album Details
- Artist: Various Artists
- Album: Born To The Breed: A Tribute To Judy Collins
- Label: Wild Flower
- Year of Release: 2009
- ME Rating:
- Reviewed by: Mike Wood on 2009-05-13
- Viewed: 3 times
In a twist to the usual tribute compilation. "Born To The Breed" celebrates the obscure original tunes of an artist who made her bones through covers. Judy Collins has had a career spanning such personas as 60s muse, 70s limp pop chanteuse, to, well, not much after that, discounting live shows. But she did amass a solid collection of her own songs while interpreting those of others, and that makes this set an almost uniformly fine listen, as well as surprising.
Shawn Colvin's take on "Secret Gardens" is spare and passionate, as is the "Easy Times" version by Jim Lauderdale, the latter marred by high school poetry masquerading as lyrics. Dolly Parton injects whimsy and pathos into "Fisherman's Song," while "Albatross" is virtually undone by Rufus Wainwright's continuing obsession with Rufus Wainwright.
The project was inspired by a meeting between Collins and Chrissie Hynde, who had mentioned that one of her favorite songs was Collins' "My Father." Appropriately, Hynde's take on that song is moving and effortless, and sung as if she has lived with it for years. Other highlights include contributions from Jimmy Webb and Dar Williams. The finale of the set is a typically jaded and sanguine spoken word "Since You Asked" (sung earlier on the record by Joan Baez, but the less said about that the better) by Leonard Cohen. As Cohen's genius is the real deal, it seems odd to be reminded just at the end of a tribute record that the guest of honor, while admirable, is not necessarily in league with the masters.
Still, "Born To The Breed: A Tribute To Judy Collins" is a cool, breezy look into the writing of Judy Collins. What we find in her lyrics are the optimism and boldness rampant during her youth, as well as the lapse into sentimentality and bathos that comes when boldness is no longer on the table as an option.
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