Jackson Browne - Time The Conqueror

Thankfully time hasn’t conquered his fire

You know what you want from a new Jackson Browne album: finely crafted songs, exquisite musicianship worn lightly, a bit of heartache, a bit of political ire, some wry observations that make you go, “Yeah, man, I’ve been there…”

Time The Conqueror, his first set of new material for six years, doesn’t disappoint in any of these respects and, if there’s nothing very surprising about it, there’s nothing jarring either. From the opening title track to the closer, Far From The Arms Of Hunger, we’re in familiar territory. Yet though Browne has released 12 other studio albums and played with this same band for 15 years, it’s neither lazy nor complacent.

Browne isn’t playing it safe, either; there will be those who won’t buy (or play) this record because of the sentiments expressed in songs such as The Drums Of War. Unlike many artistes down the years, Browne has not veered to the right as he has aged – that fire of righteousness has not dimmed, and the fact that he is able to maintain his views from a position of material comfort and security is something to be celebrated. After all, who put him there? We did, and he’s still doing it for us.

Inside Recordings | INR 80923

Reviewed by Tim Holmes
<< Back to Issue 356