More than simply the best-selling album on the stalwart Olivia Records label and a classic of the "women's music" subgenre,
Cris Williamson's
The Changer and the Changed is a brilliant '70s singer/songwriter album. The simple but rich arrangements set
Williamson's glorious voice and piano against strings, flute, and Jacqueline Robbins' jazz-inflected fretless bass, giving the album a timeless sound and putting the focus entirely on the songs and
Williamson's elegantly passionate performance of them. All ten songs are sublime, though the opening "Waterfall," featuring some sterling Fender Rhodes work by
Williamson, and the solo piano ballad "One of the Light" are the clear highlights. The album was remixed slightly and reissued in a slightly revised cover in 1977; this version is the one available on CD, but the differences between it and the original mix are minor. ~ Stewart Mason