Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Two Thumbs Way Up For "I'm Alive"!, August 25, 2000
It's said that great artists find inspiration in life's trials and tribulations, and that sure helps to explain the single best album Jackson Browne has produced in the last twenty years. Written while suffering from the well-publicized breakup of a long affair with a most beautiful blond bombshell of an actress, Browne's fervently fertile mind uses the palpable heartache to deliver a song cycle overflowing with blue-eyed California soul. From the opening lines announcing that to his own growing bemusement and amazement "I'm Alive", Jackson lets us know that this is the best that can be hoped for under the circumstances. This is the ultimate in a modern concept album, one that painfully, faithfully and artfully essays the emotional realities of a long-term relationship and giving us a rare view into the interior of life in the emotional fast lane. All of the songs here are good, but some are absolutely wonderful. I especially like "Take This Rain", "Two Of Me, Two Of You', and "Too Many Angels". As always, Browne's use of lyrics is so masterful that one reels at the power of description and expression he brings to bear on the subject of love gone awry. Of course, there are few words to describe "Sky Blue And Black" other than to say it is easily the most phenomenal song he has written since "Late For The Sky", with guitar work and vocals that are simply magical. The song cycle ends with a soulful summary of sorts with "All Good Things", which he reminds us, must come to an end. So must this review, but not without me giving a high recommendation for this album for any and all Jackson Browne fans. Enjoy.
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37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant!!!, July 20, 2001
If "tragedy is the fuel of genius", then the breakup of Darryl Hanna and Jackson Browne is pure Saturn V rocket fuel. I have owned "I'm Alive" for eight years now and every time I go back and play it again after a while, I am always astounded at how much I still LOVE this album! I was born in 1966 so the music of Jackson Browne has, for better or worse, been around me my entire life. "Running On Empty", "Doctor My Eyes", "Late for the Sky", "That Girl Could Sing", among others have been the source of plenty of blissful moments in my years but, even I wasn't ready for the musical joy that emanated from my speakers one night in late 1993 upon hearing "I'm Alive" the first time! The opening notes of the title track set you in the right mood for a fun listen. By the fifth track, you begin to realize that those opening notes were just the tip of an iceberg of musical and lyrical genius. A mixed bag of musicians and background vocalists were assembled for the ten ballads on this 47 minute album yet, they never clutter up or distract the listener from Jackson's central story of a very significant relationship going south. The remarkable thing is how he relates this melancholy theme without depressing you. The songs are wonderfully balanced with trademark Jackson Browne guitars, piano, bass, and drums usually stripped down to near acoustic simplicity with stunning effect. I earnestly do not believe that Jackson has ever sounded as good vocally as he does here, particularly when he is playing piano. "Sky Blue and Black" may just be the most astounding song Jackson has ever done. The other four odd numbered songs make up the rest of the upbeat songs with the title track and "Take This Rain" being standouts. This incredible album ends most appropriately with the soaring "All Good Things" containing the refrain "All good things got to come to an end; The thrills have to fade; Before they come `round again". The album that came after this was a bit of a disappointment but, that is to be expected after a musician comes down off the inspired mountain writing about an intense period in his life.The bottom line: This is THE Jackson Browne album to own if you plan to own just one. You will not be disappointed in the least. If you decide you would like another of his albums that is also quite good, take a listen to "Late For the Sky".
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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
ONE MORE FROM THE HEART, August 5, 2000
In the early and mid - 1970's, Jackson Browne released a string of albums (Jackson Browne, For Everyman, Late For The Sky, and The Pretender) that were about as good as it gets, both musically and especially lyrically. His introspective and personal writing style evoked emotion with every spin of the turntable. In fact, had he vanished after Late For The Sky, I still believe he would have to be counted among the best singer - songwriters of all time. Luckily for Browne's fans, he has returned, some 17 years after The Pretender, to writing songs of love and loss, of hope and despair. I'm Alive is an excellent album, and matches (almost) Late For The Sky, thus only a four - star rating. For anyone else, this would be a five - star album. Browne has said, that even with the advent of the compact disc, he still prefers to use the word "record" when referring to a recording, as it represents a "record" of his life at the time the songs are written. This is, sometimes painfully, obvious here. The singer leaves pieces of his guts strewn on nearly every track; the songs are at once beautiful and sad, Jackson Browne's trademark. "Take This Rain," "Too Many Angels" and especially the brilliantly phrased "Sky Blue And Black," which is as good a ballad as this troubador has ever penned, are all guaranteed tear - jerkers. The only caveat here is that, if you've just had a relationship fall apart, you may want to wait a little while before buying this disc. When Jackson Browne sings of broken hearts, he's also singing FOR broken hearts, and it can hit close to home. That's why he's the best at what he does.
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