Jackson Browne FOR EVERYMAN

Personnel: Jackson Browne (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, keyboards); Jackson Browne; Doug Haywood (vocals, bass instrument, background vocals); Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bonnie Raitt (vocals, background vocals); Jon Douglas Haywood (vocals); Sneaky Pete Kleinow (pedal steel guitar); Rockaday Johnnie, Rockaday Johnnie (piano); Mike Utley (organ, keyboards); Leland Sklar, Wilton Felder (bass instrument); Mickey McGee, Micky McGee (drums); David Crosby (background vocals); David Lindley (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, slide guitar, steel guitar, violin, fiddle); Joni Mitchell (piano, electric piano); Bill Payne (piano, keyboards); Craig Doerge, David Paich (piano); Michael Utley, Spooner Oldham (organ); Gary Mallaber, Jim Keltner, Russ Kunkel (drums).
Audio Mixer: Al Schmitt.
Recording information: Sunset Sound, Studio One (1973).
Browne's second album is state of the art early '70s L.A. ruminative singer/songwriter stuff, but in retrospect it's nowhere near as slick or mellow as the listener might remember. In fact, the combination of Sneaky Pete Kleinow's pealing steel and David Lindley's smudgy psychedelic lead guitar on songs like "Take It Easy" (all but unrecognizable from the Eagles' pop version) and "Our Lady of the Well" create a sound that eerily anticipates the '90s alt country rock of the Jayhawks and Golden Smog.
Even better, Browne's songwriting, though not quite as consistent as on his debut, is still in top form here. The poignant, often-covered "These Days," the uptempo feel and nudge-nudge humor of "Red Neck Friend," the autobiographical "Ready or Not," and the reflective title track all rank among Browne's best tunes. FOR EVERYMAN has a fuller sound than the singer's debut, and the new sonic textures and excellent songwriting proved that Browne's success with the first album was no fluke, and that he was in the game for keeps.

• Format: CD
• Genre: Pop