Date: Fri 05-Apr-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Illustration: C

Location: A-14

Quick Words:

concert-rev-Browne-Meadows

Full Text:

(concert rev, Jackson Browne at Meadows, 4/5/96)

Concert Review-

Browne Follows A Familiar Formula

(with photo)

By Shannon Hicks

HARTFORD - A few years ago, Dire Straits released two consecutive albums which

were so familiar in style and sound, the songs comprising both could have been

recorded all at once, divided into two albums' worth of material and released

separately a few years apart.

On Every Street (1991) wasn't necessarily a follow-up or continuation of

Brothers in Arms (1987), but in the eyes of fans and nay-sayers alike, it

could have been. Unfortunately, On Every Street did not sell nearly as well as

its stellar predecessor, causing many to label it a "flop"... a flop which

sold over six million albums.

With Jackson Browne's latest release, the singer-songwriter could have been

following the same formula, with better results. While musicians tend to have

a style or sound which remains fairly consistent throughout a career, Looking

East is so close to the sound of I'm Alive , tracks for the 1995 and 1993

albums could have, in theory anyway (copyright dates on individual songs tell

the real story), been laid down during one mega-long studio session. They are

that similar.

Fortunately for Browne, touring this year - it is almost his silver

anniversary in the music business - to support Looking East , his fan base

remains a little more stable. While many album buyers went out to buy

themselves a copy of Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms , many just for the

satisfaction of being able to boast ownership of one of the biggest-selling

albums (about 100 gazillion and still counting...) of all time, Browne's fans

faithfully wait for his new albums because of the top-notch songwriter the

California native has become.

Browne may never have an album that sells a gazillion copies, but he does have

a ground base of followers who enjoy his albums. Record sales are steady, fans

enjoy his concerts, and nearly 4,500 Connecticut admirers showed up for

Browne's stop at the Meadows Music Theatre in Hartford on March 31.

Ironically, Browne hasn't been much of a radio staple in recent years, causing

some to wonder what the musician has been up to lately when the announcement

of this year's tour came out. But like musicians Jimmy Buffett or Steve Miller

- both of whom also have shows on the same Hartford stage coming up this year

- Browne doesn't need a new album in order to tour. He draws a crowd just by

being his own mellow, story-telling self.

This year, he just happens to have an album - a good one - to hawk. And maybe

in response to those who are still scratching their heads, wondering about ol'

Jackson Browne has been up to these days, Browne opened his show with the

title song of his `93 album, "I'm Alive."

Browne's was a concert for people who enjoy listening to music, not watching a

bunch of lights flashing. His songs, like his onstage persona, are fairly low

key, enjoyable to listen to.

On this tour, Browne of course pulls out some of his old work, but remains

focused on his last two albums. "I'm Alive" and "Everywhere I Go," both from

his previous album, and the introspective "The Barricades of Heaven," "Some

Bridges," the funky "I'm the Cat" and a groovy-sounding "Culver Moon," all new

works, are heard.

In the chilly air that surrounded (and snuck inside) the amphitheatre in

Hartford Sunday night, the songs of Jackson Browne all sounded similar -

everything he sang sounded good.