I'm Alive

After spending much of the ‘80s writing songs of political consequence, Jackson Browne worked his way back to songs of love and the human soul with 1993’s I’m Alive. The material’s tone is gentler, and so are the performances. “I’m Alive” is a powerful opening number that signals his return to form. Guest performers sprinkled throughout the album add a special musicality, with David Crosby and Don Henley adding their touches to “All Good Things” and Jennifer Warnes, Ryan Browne, and longtime bandmates Valerie Carter and Doug Haywood throwing themselves behind the striking epic “Too Many Angels.” “Everywhere I Go” adds an uplifting reggae groove to a melody that bursts into the sky, while “Sky Blue and Black” sits Browne back behind the piano for the kind of song that wouldn’t be out of place on his classic Late for the Sky. Keyboardist and coproducer Scott Thurston makes his presence felt, while longtime friend and bandmate David Lindley breaks out the bouzouki and oud along with his guitars.