Judy Collins is an artist that I’ve been meaning to listen to for a little while now. She’s been known for social activism, as well as an Americana style. She had her first #1 album on the American Billboard charts in 2019 at the age of 80 years old. This particular album, Wildflowers (1967), reached #5 on the Billboard pop charts, and was certified gold in 1969. I’ve been on a bit of folk music run lately, so I’m excited to check out this album. With that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Michael from Mountains” begins with some very gently flowing acoustic folk guitar, which is soon joined by some pleasant orchestral strings and Collins’ voice that gives me impressions of Joni Mitchell to some extent. This tune is very pleasant thus far, as the instrumentation seems to try to beckon you through some sort of folksy meadow, being guided by a breezy sound in the form of Collins’ vocals. Super sweet track to start the album, and I’m excited to hear more.
“Since You Asked” begins with an orchestral arrangement that seems to have a sound akin to wet grass and shrubs just after a rainstorm, while the acoustic guitar seems to gently drip into the soundscape and Collins’ vocals nearly has a heaviness, almost as though its a humid, gently moving breeze. Really sweet tune.
“Sisters of Mercy” feels like a very natural progression of the album, with the orchestral instruments adding a complementary sweetness to Collins’ vocals. Oh wow, there seems to be a harp or some similar instrument gently plucking notes that fall into the soundscape, and causes me to listen even closer as Collins sings a quite pleasant line. Great track.
Oh wow, “Priests” begins with the rapid plucking of a harp or possibly a lute, or some other instrument(s), which seems to bring a sense of urgency to the album that has otherwise seems to have not been present (that I can recall) in any of the tracks thus far. There’s almost an air of mystery in this tune that harkens to the idea of a medieval folk tune that has been handed down throughout many generations, giving a nearly dark against light sort of sound; the chimes of the bells and sweetness of the orchestral strings seems to nearly have that medieval light quality while the rapid harp plucking nearly has a sort of medieval darkness, while Collins’ voice seems to tow the line and bring about that mysterious sound. Great tune.
“A Ballata of Francesco Landini (ca. 1335-1397) Lasso! Di Donna” seems to be a rendition of something written by a medieval era musician, Francesco Landini, and is sung in Italian. This seems to further reinforce the sentiments from the previous song, while introducing an enhanced air of mystery in the tune as well as the album. There nearly sounds to be a hurdy gurdy or an accordion of sorts, though I’m not too sure as the particular instruments aren’t recorded and I’m not too familiar with medieval instrumentation. There also sounds to be a flute, as well as possibly a harpsichord that are creating some of the medieval sounds. I really dig the pauses between verses; though I can’t understand the words, there seems to be a momentary relief in tension during the pauses. Great track.
“Both Sides Now” is a cover of the tune written by Joni Mitchell, though Collins was the first one to record the track, which seems to have a sound reminiscent of May flowers after the April showers from the previous tracks (and first side of the album, this track begins side two). I really like the harpsichord sound that seems to carry much of the instrumentation until the sweet orchestral strings enter the soundscape. Collins’ voice seems to swell very pleasantly as she comes to the chorus of the tune. Great tune.
Oh wow, “La Chanson Des Vieux Amants (The Song of Old Lovers)” begins with a warm piano that seems to have a certain noir sort of sound with the vague bluesy melancholy that underlines the sweetness in the French vocals and orchestral strings in the track. The tune was written by Jacques Brel, a Belgian composer. Oh wow, the horns or saxophone are incredibly tasty in this track. I’m really digging this song. Wow, great track.
“Sky Fell” starts off with some orchestral instrumentation that sounds as though it’s building with anticipation, especially as the harp gently plucks notes that seem to fall like the initial raindrops from a storm onto a window pane. Collins’ vocals seem to get especially delicate with some notes, while bringing a sweetness to the track with each line. Great tune.
“Albatross” starts out with some orchestral instrumentation that seem to represent a leaf’s random movements while being blown through a breeze. Oh wow, the introspective storytelling aspect of this song seems to propel the momentum of album forward by a great deal, with a sound that seems to be following Collins as she walks through a meadow while her words are carried by a breeze into the aether of the universe. Great track.
“Hey That’s No Way to Say Goodbye” begins with just Collins’ delicate voice, and is joined by some gentle plucked strings, which seems to bring about a feeling of anticipation. Oh wow, the sweetness of the orchestral instrumentation seems to nearly relax the soundscape a bit, while Collins’ vocals seems to once again tow the line between the two sounds. Great track, and a great way to tie together this album.
Wow, this album is a super pleasant listening experience, and listening to it at the end of the night is a nice way to wind down the day. Collins seemed to play a lot with expectations in the music, or at least towed the line between two different moods, allowing the listener to interpret as they might. The sweetness of the orchestral instrumentation only furthered the sweetness in Collins’ voice, both of which evoked a very natural sounding folk sound. If you’re into a naturesque folk sound with a lot of sweetness inside, then you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this one a listen, I sincerely hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A