The Best of Jennifer Warnes

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Jennifer Warnes

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Jennifer Warnes has got to be the most underrated, under appreciated singer in the entire recording industry. She's also not very prolific, which is likely the main reason she's so often forgotten, having released only 4 albums of new material in the past 25 years. This compilation includes tracks from her two 70's Arista albums ("Jennifer Warnes" and "Shot Through the Heart") as well as several singles and b-sides. "The Right Time of the Night" and "I Know a Heartache When I See One" are her biggest solo hits, but the best tracks here are "It Goes Like It Goes", the hauntingly beautiful, Oscar-winning theme song to "Norma Rae", and two Jennifer Warnes originals, the Laura Nyro-like "Shot Through the Heart" and the heartbreaking "I'm Restless", both of which reveal her to be as talented a writer as she is a singer. It's a good collection, and highly recommended for the beautiful voice of Jennifer Warnes, but Arista chose some puzzling selections to include. "Run to Her" and "Come To Me" are both fine songs, but they never appeared on a Jennifer Warnes album. Instead, Arista should have included her beautiful cover of the Everly Brothers "Love Hurts" and her self-penned "Frankie in the Rain", two of her best recordings and unavailable on cd. As good as "The Best of Jennifer Warnes" is, it could have been better!!

Jennifer Warnes has not had much luck in her career. Dropped by her label in the early 70's when she chose to tour as a back up singer with Leonard Cohen rather than as an opener for Neil Diamond, she got another chance in the late 1970's when she was signed to Arista. Arista, however, was determined to turn her into a Linda Ronstadt clone, by giving her lovely voice, generally acceptable, but far from extraordinary standard commercial material. The result were two modest selling (and now out of print) albums the best cuts of which went ignored.

She left Arista after the second of these album and remerged in 1986 with the magnificent album "Famous Blue Raincoat" a disc of songs written by her hero and mentor Leonard Cohen.

Unfortunately, this compilation isn't really "the best" of Jennifer Warnes, as any compilation with that tittle would draw heavily from her post (and pre) Arista career. But this is a pleasant CD continuing the catchy as all get out "I Know A Heartache When I See One," the lovely "It Goes Like It Goes" (from the movie "Norma Rae") and the stellar "I'm Restless." But overall it proves that this was not really the type of material Jennifer was meant to record.

What is sad is that "Famous Blue Raincoat" is now out of print. It has been in that status before and so maybe someday it will be reissued. But for now, if you want to get a better sense of what this fine singer is capable of, give her only other CD remaining in print, "The Hunter" a listen.