Judy Collins - Judith

Now here's an interesting album. Judith is the 12th studio album by Judy Collins, and even random people in their basements say it's 50/50. The highs are exceptional, the lows are indication that she's gonna make a bunch of albums that suck. Can i bring a different point of view to the table?

Yeah, i think so. What other mid-career 12th albums about dying are you going to compare it to? Seriously, 28 studio albums. Least effective Jagger/Richards cover ever? Admit it, you're assuming the original Salt of the Earth wasn't a sarcastic snipe at elitism, and you're not noticing that this is a farce in its own right. This is a two-faced album, and you're just ignoring the other face. You say half this album is great, half is crap, but you never bother to ask why the half you don't like is there in the first place. I'm not saying i have the right answer, but half broadway musical, half honky-tonk isn't an accident.

Part of the reason self titled albums should be your first is that it's really hard to say "i know you like all the albums i made, but they're not real, here's the real me, hope you aren't mad." This album is a great example. You can't accept the split personality, so you say she's doing a bad job. That's crap criticism. I don't like the overtly country cuts because they're country, and that's nobody's fault but my own. I'm prejudiced, so i have to recuse myself. Actually, no i don't. She's half countercultural icon, half entertainer with an entire crew to financially support, and even though she's paying for all of it at the end of the ledger, some rich white guy who thinks country shlock sells is putting down the money up front. Criticize the industry and the mainstream audience for that one.

So, while i agree that half of it sucks, it's the half that made it possible for me to hold in my hand this evening, and if that doesn't strike you as a little bit suspect then you need a turn in front of my funhouse shaving mirror of doom. This album screams "not allowed to write the whole album myself!," and that's about as honest a self titled album as anyone could dream up.