Personnel: Jackson Browne (vocals, guitar).

Audio Mixer: Paul Dieter.

Photographers: Andrea Blackwelder; Nels Israelson; Alan Kozlowski.

A solid follow-up to 2005's SOLO ACOUSTIC VOLUME 1, this sequel was recorded at various concerts across several continents in the last few years, providing a wide overview of Jackson Browne's career as both a songwriter and a performer. Ranging across the breadth of Browne's lengthy career, from 1972's "Something Fine" to a handful of songs from 2002's THE NAKED RIDE HOME, SOLO ACOUSTIC VOLUME 2 is lighter on the instantly recognizable radio hits, although "Somebody's Baby" and "In the Shape of a Heart" are both accounted for. Even more appealing for longtime fans, over half of the 12 songs feature lengthy, at times rambling, but always entertaining introductions about the songs themselves or the circumstances of their writing.

The opening 28 seconds of Jackson Browne's Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1 are massive crowd applause. Even its volume level gets boosted the way it did on live albums from the 1970s. Guess he wants you to know he still matters to people -- and it's totally unnecessary. The music here speaks for itself. Whether or not one appreciates Browne's recorded catalog is immaterial; his gift as a songwriter is enigmatic, unassailable, and singular. There are 12 songs here from throughout Browne's career, ranging from "These Days" and "For Everyman" to "Lives in the Balance" and "Looking East" and all points in between. There are numerous spoken and instrumental intros to the material; Browne's a fine and comfortable communicator when it comes to sitting naked and alone in front of an audience, though sometimes his humor is cynical and borders on bitter. The versions of "For a Dancer" and "The Pretender" are deeply moving as are "These Days" and "Too Many Angels." It would be easy to live without all the intros, as they merely point toward Browne and what he has accomplished, when the songs so easily speak for themselves and for him. Perhaps on volume two he'll let that happen. Despite his many asides, this is a fine and necessary addition to Browne's catalog. Still one has to wonder, with the double-disc Rhino set that appeared earlier in 2005 and these live retrospectives, when there will be new material coming from a songwriter who has had something to say that mattered in each of the last four decades. Let's hope it's soon. ~ Thom Jurek

Recorded live in front of an enthusiastic audience, 2005's SOLO ACOUSTIC VOL. 1 presents revered California singer/songwriter Jackson Browne performing many of the finest tunes from various eras of his career. Here Browne is on stage alone, accompanying himself on either acoustic guitar or keyboards, relating humorous tales about his music and life in between songs. This minimal setting allows Browne to get to the heart of these celebrated tunes, from early-1970s classics such as the achingly beautiful "These Days" and the thoughtful "For Everyman" to the later politically minded tracks "Lives in the Balance" and "Lookin' East."

Browne's clear, charismatic vocals shine in the spare context, and his alternately introspective and socially conscious narratives both benefit in this scenario. Listeners will be especially pleased to hear the closing track, "Take It Easy," which, of course, was a much bigger hit for the Eagles than for Browne himself. Some fans may bemoan the absence of "Running on Empty" and "Doctor My Eyes," but it's likely that the foreshadowed VOL. 2 will pick up on those and other missing Browne hits.

Rolling Stone (No. 986, p.90) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...Browne's strength has always been songwriting, and SOLO ACOUSTIC delivers those songs with no extra baggage."

Entertainment Weekly (No. 845, p.77) - "...[His] dogged sincerity sounds pretty damned good in 2005...." - Grade: B+

Dirty Linen (p.49) - "Old and new Browne fans should be well pleased with this bright-sounding, tastefully compiled release."

Mojo (Publisher) (p.136) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[H]ere's all the slipping dreams and empty beauty of Southern California life."