World In Motion

This is Jackson Browne's most political album. At times, it seems less like a collection of songs than an aural neon sign flashing "I am outraged!" In "The Word Justice," for example, Browne paints a devastating portrait of Oliver North's appearance before Congress, and later devotes a verse to the CIA's alleged drug smuggling activities. Elsewhere, the title tune warns of America's decline while "How Long" rails against defense spending at the expense of hungry children. All is not doom and gloom, however. On a more optimistic note, "When the Stone Begins to Turn" (which boasts a reggae groove courtesy of guest stars Sly and Robbie) suggests that South Africa's Nelson Mandela would someday be freed, and some of the songs--in particular "My Personal Revenge" and "Lights and Virtues"--have an almost inspirational tone. Musically, the album is a slicked up version of the L.A. studio pop familiar from most of Browne's '80s albums; there is, however, some sort of irony in the fact that his main collaborator here, multi-instrumentalist Scott Thurston, originally played with the RAW POWER-era Stooges (he can be heard, sort of, on METALLIC KO, the notorious bootleg of the last ever Stooges concert).