Jackson Browne

A week after his 60th birthday, Jackson Browne arrives in town with a new album prominently displaying his gray-streaked goatee on the cover and a great title track acknowledging the ravages of time. Time the Conqueror (Inside), Browne's first collection of new material in six years, may have mortality as a subtext, but it is hardly a surrender. In fact, it's a reaffirmation of his political activism and belief in the power of love. He reminisces about his long-gone youth a couple of times ("Off of Wonderland," "Giving That Heaven Away"). But he also weighs in with some vividly drawn topical fare about Dubya's duplicitous diddling with Iraq and Katrina ("The Drums of War," "Where Were You"), which may come a little late in the game but are welcome for their eloquence and passion. Backed by his longtime quartet and a couple of terrific, gospel-laced backup singers (Chavonne Morris, Alethea Mills), Browne taps the Southern California melodic rock sound that is his trademark, emphasizing crafty arrangements and memorable tunes. The same crew is with him on this tour, which reconciles past and present by mixing new material with a slew of classics reaching back all the way to his 1972 debut. He'll probably even reclaim "Running on Empty," the subject of his lawsuit against the Republican Party and the McCain campaign for the Ohio GOP's alleged unauthorized use of the tune in an anti-Obama ad.
Thu., Oct. 16, 7:30 p.m., 2008