A mere 26 years have passed since Geffen Records released the
Jackson Browne-produced debut album by
Greg Copeland, Revenge Will Come, including
Copeland's best-known composition, "El Salvador," a song that took on the administration of
President Ronald Reagan and its Vietnam-like policy of support for the right-wing regime in that Central American country. (The song was covered by
Peter, Paul and Mary.) The rest of Revenge Will Come was a rocking singer/songwriter effort, with
Danny Kortchmar's guitar leading driving songs like "Full Cleveland." Unfortunately, the album, which sounded at the time like an auspicious beginning to
Copeland's career, did not sell.
Copeland returns, again under
Browne's aegis, with
Diana and James. (
Browne is the executive producer this time, and the disc is being released by his Inside Recordings label.) The rock style is gone, replaced by country-folk arrangements and a sound that will be practically unrecognizable to the lucky few who bought Revenge Will Come. "The Only Wicked Thing," for example, has a Western swing feel, while "I Am the One" sounds like old-timey country. "Typical" boasts a pedal steel guitar that makes it sound like traditional country, and "Palace of Love" is a Mexican-flavored ballad sung as a duet with violinist
Carla Kihlstedt. The tunes, all written by
Copeland, constitute a song cycle about the necessity of love as a bulwark against life's vagaries, told in imagery that mixes rural references and Los Angeles scenes.
Copeland sings them in a wheezy croak that lends gravitas to the sentiments. He remains a thoughtful writer, even as he remains in the shadow of his mentor,
Browne. ~ William Ruhlmann