Search - Janis Ian :: Between the Lines (Mlps)

Everybody knows

Van Halen Kurtz | Twin Oaks | 04/11/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"1975's finest. Perhaps one up- or mid-tempo tune short of an all-the-way (explosion, fireworks) masterpiece (that closing track is a touch maudlin), Between The Lines nevertheless blows out Ian's nearest "rivals" (Carole King, Billy Joel, Stevie Nicks and, dare I say, Paul Simon) and makes a serious claim for one of the 70's preeminent essential LP artifacts.



The success here, I believe, is that Ian (already a songwriting master by '69) keeps the chords simple enough to let her mesmerizing blasts of lyrical wisdom run their course. And there is sagacity, however embittered, on every track. The arrangements are smart, providing properly discreet shading to Ian's soul-inflected folk (and, occasionally)cabaret musings.



Ian sings a mean, low-key revelation. Even when her lyrical and sonic milieu is the tawdry dancehall ("Bright Lights and Promises"), she never showboats. Ian has the inspired ice of Peggy Lee. "The Come On," a deeply dire meditation on cheap love and low esteem, never lapses into sobbing gymnastics. Ian just delivers the bad news like an X-ray. Perfect every time.



There is a fiber-optic perfection to Ian's poetic observations. Male radio programmers and DJs were compelled by burning telephone lines, not market imperatives, to air "At Seventeen" - a startling runaway hit (prefiguring the later, bolder success of Suzanne Vega's "Luka"). It was simply heavy lasers set to kill. Ian didn't hit the mark, she expunged it.



What an artist."

Janis.....

John A. Van Devender | Millersville, MD United States | 02/25/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Whatever Janis Ian sings, whether her own or someone else's, it comes across as entirely autobiographical. When she sings "Seventeen" you can almost imagine that she actually was an "ugly girl" though not for a moment do I believe it. Her phrasing and musical sensibilities meet every expectation. I am a fan.



It's interesting, but when I listen to her, I am reminded of Jim Croce. I wonder if they were ever friends or even if she was of his era. Croce has a wider range to his music. When he has fun with a song, there is never a doubt that he is clowning around. Ian can not escape her seriousness even when being light. As I said, it's all autobiographical and whatever it is she is singing, I can't help but believe, that somewhere, somehow, she lived it.



That said, there is perhaps no one who handles rhythm better. Her mastery of composition and arrangement gives each piece a personality - though her style is recognizable after a while. I think she is under-rated as an artist. Too many are topping the charts with fluff. Ian holds her own with people who appreciate music."