Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 Not as good as volume 1 May 20, 2008
Comical Engineer (UK)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I am a long time Jackson Browne fan and have seen him live several times both with the band and solo. The previous solo album was an excellent effort and well worth five stars. Regrettably, this is not up to the standard of Vol.1 by any means.
I don't know why, perhaps some of the tracks were just not suited to a solo performance, perhaps these weren't the best performances but this album just doesn't gel. In particular, Somebody's Baby just didn't hit the spot at all and nor even did the usually excellent All Good Things. I was particularly disappointed by the rendition of "In the shape of a heart" which was just not as good as I remember it from the acoustic tour a couple of years ago.
On balance, I would have to say that this album is strictly for fans - which is a shame.
 Worth a listen April 22, 2008
Petty minded (Geneva, Switzerland)
Not as strong as Vol.1 but still great listening - the song selection doesn't have the variety of the first but still a great listen after a long day - the commentary is not intrusive at all, on the contrary it is informative & enhances the whole package.
 What a great album March 19, 2008
Mr. Alexander Hayes (Sussex, UK)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
If you are fortunate enough to own the Jackson Browne Solo Acoustic Vol. 1, you probably also looked forward to to the release of Vol. 2 with a great deal of excitement.
Happily, after numerous dissapointments from other artists in terms of second volumens, this is even better than the last version. 'Sky Blue and Black' is simply fantastic, as is Redneck Friend, a song I had heard very seldom before this release, and Browne's dualogue with the audience put perspective and realism into his songs that you don't feel from the studio albums.
An excellent buy.
An antidote to 2008 March 15, 2008
J. Green (Vancouver, BC, Canada)
This record (remember those?) has nothing to do with the digital age. It will not work on your iPod while jogging. It will not feature on any adverts selling bottled water or the like. Nor will it sell loads to people who wear leisure wear and trainers for anything other than exercise. Come to think of it, it probably won't sell to people who exercise generally.
However if you like well crafted songs, well sung and well played - and you actually like listening to music, as opposed to having it on in the background, you'll enjoy another terrific solo set fom Browne, who natural introspection seems to have altered to gentle self-deprecation over the years. Terrific collection, tinged with melancholy and hard-won self belief.
For fans only March 12, 2008
M. G. Wilson (Eastbourne)
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
The solo acoustic concert is hard to pull off, and the album of the solo acoustic concert perhaps harder still, lacking the atmosphere and personal presence of the performer. How to add something to a full band, studio produced version? How to inject enough sonic variation to hold the listeners' attention? There are few performers who I've seen pull it off live: Costello for sure, Thompson, Cockburn maybe.
The set list here doesn't help, with only two songs from Browne's golden era, and nothing new. There are some good performances, but also some weary ones, and in the end the record is rather flat. As others have noted, fans will want this, but newcomers should look elsewhere.
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