Janis Joplin

Janis' last. Fortunately, Pearl is a good record and Janis is often magnificent. The voice cut
off was clearly in its prime. I suspect that some of the tracks are not in their final shape, but
these are not scraps, and there is every indication that Janis was working toward a new
maturity and confidence. Her last album can't simply be an occasion for evaluation. The
fact that there will be no more studio albums inevitably outweighs the issue of h... More >

Full Tilt Boogie prove themselves the most musicianly of her three backup bands--there's not a track where they don't help her grab the moment by the seat of the pants. Nevertheless, they and their soul/blues do her a disservice. I miss Big Brother, whose bizarre lumpenhippie "acid rock," when combined with her too frequently ignored country roots and her blues allegiances, made for an underclass triple-header altogether too threatening and unkempt to suit the kind of professional advisors who help singers assemble backup bands. No accident that the only transcendent tracks here are "Me and Bobby McGee," an country song, and "Mercedes Benz," an impromptu (or simulated impromptu) hippie goof. (Grade: A-)