Jesse Colin Young - The Best Of Jesse Colin Young: The Solo Years (1991)

Since Jesse Colin Young never enjoyed a chart single, the selection of a best-of might seem potentially problematic. But Young's fans have their favorites, and most of them are likely to be on this 16-track, 73-minute plus disc. Representative tracks are lifted from Young's two acoustic albums of the mid-'60s, followed by the key tracks from his '70s solo albums Together, Song for Juli, Light Shine, Songbird, and On the Road. There's nothing from the unimpressive American Dreams album, and only one track from the obscure The Perfect Stranger. Four songs are remakes of Youngbloods tunes. One can easily trace Young's development from his folk-blues roots to the rural hippie sentiments of songs like "Good Times" and "Ridgetop," and sample the range of concerns from the intimate family celebration of "Song for Juli" to the sober political reflections of "Before You Came." Throughout, Young uses his attractive high voice for hopeful encouragement and optimism, reflected in sunny imagery -- song titles include "Morning Sun," "Light Shine," and "Sunlight." Young's individual albums are often inconsistent, so this well-chosen compilation does him a particular favor: It is the great album his fans always thought he had in him, but that he never quite made.