Songwriter
Ruthann Friedman rambled through the mid-'60s and early '70s, rubbing elbows with San Francisco's psychedelic royalty and eventually lending her song "Windy" to AM pop group
the Association. "Windy" would become one of
the Association's biggest hits, but while the royalty checks for that singsongy piece of fluffy pop poured in,
Friedman was constantly working on songs by turns more gritty and leaning toward the psychedelic side of folk.
Windy: A Ruthann Friedman Songbook follows 2006's collection of unreleased material A Hurried Life, as well as reissues of
Friedman's sole solo album
Constant Companion. The collection's 18 tracks include demo recordings from early stages of the ubiquitous "Windy," gentle folk pop rambles like "When You're Near" and later period songs that draw on the Haight/Ashbury rock vibes of the Summer of Love to a serviceable degree. With a smoky voice not unlike similarly mystical folkstresses Kathy Smith,
Linda Perhacs, and later
Laura Nyro,
Friedman's songs are generally more stormy than poppy, and guest appearances by
Randy Newman and
Van Dyke Parks add some color to this scattered but thoroughly enjoyable scrapbook of
Friedman's various unheard phases. ~ Fred Thomas