The Next Voice You Hear: The Best of Jackson Browne

The first greatest-hits collection issued by Jackson Browne is a quick 13-track summary with two previously unreleased songs (“The Rebel Jesus” and “The Next Voice You Hear”) added for longtime fans. The Very Best of Jackson Browne is more extensive, but this set gives you an idea of what his career looks like in the short view. “Somebody’s Baby” is one attraction, having never made an official Browne album (only the soundtrack to Fast Times at Ridgemont High). Songs are culled from his 1972 debut through 1996’s Looking East. No era is given preference, and not all the hits are here. However, Browne’s talents are in full force on such landmark tunes as “Late for the Sky,” “The Pretender,” “Running on Empty,” and “The Barricades of Heaven.” Though best known for his early-‘70s work as the prototypical Southern California singer/songwriter, Browne has long been a strong social critic and artist much admired by his peers. Nico and Gregg Allman, among many, have covered “These Days.”