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.
The album's most politically charged tune is also the first to stray from the sense of tranquility. "The Drums of War" is a dark, driving song that speaks to the blind faith and lack of questioning that accompany a country's surge into warfare. This track creates a sense of uneasiness, opening with ubiquitous keyboard and harrowing notes on the slide guitar. Building drum beats crescendo into a murky melody, which swells into a major lift, illuminating the real and saddening feeling of helplessness in times of war.
The album's most distinctive track is a nine-minute, blues-driven plea to America's leaders titled "Where Were You?" This song pointedly asks those in charge why they did not help those in need when help was needed the most, specifically during the nightmare of Huricane Katrina. In this, the album's most musically inimitable track, distorted guitars, funky bass lines, and thumping drums empower the spectral sounds of Browne's appealing voice; but Browne cannot help leading the song into a softer chorus with uplifting and harkening melodies, accompanied by lulling piano lines and dreamlike keyboards.
Browne's modesty and vulnerability is apparent not only in his emotion-filled music, but in his primary theme: that time conquers all. Time, however, has yet to overcome the music of this wizened songwriter, and this installment will undoubtedly continue to transcend time, like so much of Browne's music has. Time the Conqueror is a calming collection of undeniable realness. It sweeps through the harsh thicket of contemporary music, almost like, as Browne sings in his ballad, "Giving That Heaven Away," "a cool breeze through hell." B
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