Rhino's 21-cut Judy Collins collection is truly a solid introduction to the often misunderstood singer and, to a lesser extent, songwriter from the new folk era of the early '60s, whose career has yet to come to a complete end. Her great run was from the mid-'60s through to the early '80s, and while Frank Sinatra gets many accolades (and justly for his reading of Stephen Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns"), it's Collins' version that was her last big Top Ten smash hit, and rightfully so because it captured a different nuance. ...
Read More
Rhino's 21-cut Judy Collins collection is truly a solid introduction to the often misunderstood singer and, to a lesser extent, songwriter from the new folk era of the early '60s, whose career has yet to come to a complete end. Her great run was from the mid-'60s through to the early '80s, and while Frank Sinatra gets many accolades (and justly for his reading of Stephen Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns"), it's Collins' version that was her last big Top Ten smash hit, and rightfully so because it captured a different nuance. Hell, even Van Morrison started covering the tune after her version. But that's far from all: there's a reading here of Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" that got the enigmatic songwriter discovered, and she covered Dylan, Henley, and Frey, and of course had her hit with Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" that made the melancholic folk-jazz tune a pop hit. Collins has one of those voices that was perhaps better suited to the American theater, but in the great age of rock and pop radio -- and on AM radio it was anything goes in those days -- she was a near constant presence. This selection proves exactly why and gives a solid overview of what her contributions were, and they were sizable. This is the Judy Collins that needs to be discovered by all the kids who are finally digging into Baez, David Ackles, Tim Buckley, and the like. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi
Read Less
