Jackie DeShannon - Album review [Laurel Canyon, 1968] Video

When the psychedelic smokes started to disappear some artists began to turn back to more earth bound music. In 1968 we got the debut albums by future stars such as Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Band. Jackie DeShannon was one of the first to jump the new bandwagon, and in October 1968 "Laurel Canyon" was released. It was an album that some people consider to be the first singer/songwriter album by a female artist. The genre would be very popular in the early 70's when artists like Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Carly Simon topped the charts, but Jackie was ahead as always. It would not be 100 percent correct to call "Laurel Canyon" a singer/songwriter album, though, since Jackie sings in a soulful voice on most tracks. On "Laurel Canyon" Jackie has gathered some great musicians; a young Barry White, Dr John and Russ Titleman. The standout tracks are Jackie's own "LA" and "Holly Would" (both of them are on this channel) and her brilliant recording of "Come and Stay With Me". Right now you are listening to the title track. Barry White provided "I Got My Reason", which sounds quite similar to "The Weight" (which is also included on the album) "Laurel Caynyon" was released on CD in 2005 by the British label RPM. There are eight bonus tracks; including some singles only releases (check out the brilliant "Trust in Me" on my Channel) and a few unreleased songs. I give "Laurel Canyon" an 8 on a 10 scale.