Hard Times for Lovers

by

Judy Collins

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I am not that familiar with Judy Collins, I have "Colors of

the Day" because I love "Both Sides Now' It is a great CD.

I am familiar with the song "Hard Times For Lovers", and took

a chance on buying this CD and I am so glad I did. Her voice

sounds so strong and clear and each song is beautiful. She

does a wonderful job with "Desperado" and I love the song

"Where or When" I guess alot of people who are big Judy

Collins fans think this is not one of her best albums. I love

good music and I can tell you thia CD is no disappointment.

It is beautifully sung and arranged. I want to say again

her voice is so unique and it really sound strong and clear

I remember the buildup this album received back in '79; most people were slightly suprised at the risque (but not explicit) cover shots of a nude Judy. It seems that it was her idea to have Francesco Scavullo do the shoot, which celebrated her pride in turning 40 that year. It was hoped that "Hard Times..." would follow in the mold of her commercial breakthrough, "Judith," and the material here actually does hew pretty close to the various styles on that album.

But "Hard Times..." is a hard album to enjoy, for several reasons. Foremost is the fact that Judy's voice had seldom sounded this poor in her recorded work...and I suspect this had more to do with lack of vocal coaching and practice than it had to do with her age at the time. When she was still considered a folk singer or vocal interpreter, her singing reflected the precision of the sentiments she expressed. As she moved into her "art song" period, she seemed to place more emphasis on crooning, or just sounding pretty. That's not to say that she lost all sense of vocal dynamics, but the albums from this time period amply document how spotty her voice sounded.

"Hard Times..." includes several vocal performances that simply are not up to the standard she set for herself, and her quavery warbling greatly diminishes the power of her range as well as the listenability of the songs themselves. As a result, some wonderful tunes are reduced to mood music...something that even her biggest fans will not play at full volume. At worst, the shrillness of her delivery on songs like "Starmaker" will have listeners cringing.

Given the Easy Listening tunefulness of some of these songs, there are still pleasures to be found on this album. The Country-Pop of the title track is a winner, as is the lushly romantic "I Remember Sky," penned by Stephen Sondheim. Randy Newman's "Marie" is a beautiful bit of melancholia, later echoed in the ode to lost Oz that is "Dorothy." The Rodgers & Hart classic "Where or When" that closes this album is a mildly ironic inclusion: fans can't help but wonder if the days of her assured, spirited performances are gone forever.

-Mic