Performers are known because of different qualities, like the ability to craft songs or sing with emotion. With folksingers like
Judy Collins
, there was never any question. In the '60s, her voice could always be counted on to amaze and astonish listeners.
Collins
also had the good taste to choose good songs by great writers like
Dylan
,
Leonard Cohen
, and
Joni Mitchell
. The only weak spot in this otherwise rosy scenario centered on occasional lapses in judgment when it came to arrangements. Early material like
"Turn! Turn! Turn!"
and
"Suzanne"
features little more than guitar and bass backup. These cuts still sound honest and fresh. Because
' vocals were so commanding, though, it was also easy to add busier arrangements to good effect. One of the best cuts on this album is
Ian Tyson
's
"Someday Soon,"
featuring
Buddy Emmons
on pedal steel and
James Burton
on guitar. The band lays down a perfect
country & western
cushion for her emotive vocal and the results sound as lovely today as they did 30 years ago. For every song that she nails perfectly, however, there is another one that goes just as badly astray. The sluggish
"Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues,"
complete with flute, sounds like a bizarre companion piece to
"Suzanne."
The harpsichord,
rock
drums, and orchestra of
"Both Sides Now"
seems a bit overblown -- though it certainly made a big splash on the radio at the time. Many of these songs misfire due to the odd mixtures of styles, attempting to marry
folk
country
to
pop
, and add out-of-place instruments. Oddly, the
arrangement of
"Send in the Clowns"
works surprisingly well because it doesn't try to mix styles.
The Very Best of Judy Collins
is a good overview of
' journey from folksinger to singer/songwriter to
diva. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.