Songs Of Love & War

Reissue of this album, the final recordings by the British singer/songwriter before he died of cancer in 1993 at the tragically young age of 46. Songs of Love & War, which was released posthumously two years after his death, is a gloriously beautiful (and all the more tragic, for that reason) swan song. Browne's magnificently expressive voice and guitar are nicely showcased in the relatively stripped down yet still art rock-focused sound of his late-career work. "Scull Twins" and "Misunderstood" are still unabashed successors to the kind of pop art sounds with which Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry were wowing critics around the world in the 1970s, as well as recalling the lightest moments of King Crimson's early to mid-'70s work; and the guitar instrumental "Berceuse" is a reminder of Browne's personal roots in classical guitar, which still informed his music-making 25 years on. Colin Blunstone is the most recognizable of the notable musicians who put the finishing touches on this album for Browne, who passed away before completing it in May of 1993. Anyone who was ever a fan of the man owes to themselves, as well as to the artist's memory, to track this album down and hear it - it's not a cash-in effort, but a fully realized collection of wholly worthwhile music, in whatever context one chooses to hear.