Janis Ian (Windham Hill)
Starting out as a precocious teenager in the '60s, Ian has enjoyed a long if irregular career as a singer and composer. Most of her tunes since 1967's "Society's Child" have been heavy on socially conscious content and light on humor. Certainly nothing in her past 17-album output foreshadows this thoroughly delightful, varied and witty song cycle. The provocative title track, which contains a subtle homage to Bob Dylan, laments the oppression Ian felt growing up in an activist New Jersey family that drew unwanted attention from the FBI. "Welcome to the '50s, you look a little shifty," is one of its catchy mantras.
Willie Nelson lends his unmistakable twang to the punchy "Memphis," co-written by Ian and Deana Carter and featuring Chet Atkins on guitar. The reliable Kye Fleming cowrote "She Must Be Beautiful" with Ian. And yet another Nashville star—whose footwear is nearly as spectacular as her voice—is celebrated in "Boots Like Emmy Lou's" (as in Emmylou Harris, of course).
Bottom Line: Keeps an old promise
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