Not sure if anyone answered the "What is Janis Ian's latest stuff like?" question, but, by and large, it is very good -- though her albums don't match her performing skills. Of her "third career," which started in the early 90s, "Breaking Silence" and the latest, "god & the fbi," are the clearly superior sets. "god" has some very strong melodies, a nice duet with Willie Nelson on a beautiful song called "Memphis," and a great variety of muscical styles, from ballads, to orchestrated rock, to neo-country (but not that icky contemporary country). There's a very powerful song called "On the Other Side," about a person who has died, gone to the 'other side' and is looking back at their death - which happened while saving people from a burning, collapsing building. It has very mystical, 9/11 overtones but was composed pre-9/11. "god" was released the same day as Both Sides Now. It and Breaking Silence (which contains "Some People's Lives," one of the best songs ever written by, b! y anyone) are hard to find in stores (Janis has, unfortunately, signed with record complanies that either go out of business or drop her because of slow sales), but are available on Amazon.com or at janisian.com. There, I'm off the Janis soapbox and will let it rest.....
Bryan
