More than simply the best-selling album on the stalwart
Olivia Records
label and a classic of the "women's music" subgenre,
Cris Williamson
's
The Changer and the Changed
is a brilliant '70s
singer/songwriter
album. The simple but rich arrangements set
Williamson
's glorious voice and piano against strings, flute, and
Jacqueline Robbins
'
jazz
-inflected fretless bass, giving the album a timeless sound and putting the focus entirely on the songs and
's elegantly passionate performance of them. All ten songs are sublime, though the opening
"Waterfall,"
featuring some sterling Fender Rhodes work by
, and the solo piano
ballad
"One of the Light"
are the clear highlights. The album was remixed slightly and reissued in a slightly revised cover in 1977; this version is the one available on CD, but the differences between it and the original mix are minor. ~ Stewart Mason