Janis Ian - Society's Child: The Verve Recordings

The 41 songs on this double CD contain almost everything from the four albums that the singer/songwriter recorded for Verve in the late '60s. While it is true that Ian's early work may have been unduly savaged by unsympathetic rock critics, it's also true that the magnitude of her talent isn't large enough to merit a box set. As others have pointed out over the years, these compositions are often overly wordy, didactic, and self-absorbed, though these flaws are understandable (to a degree) given that Ian was in her mid- and late- teens when they were recorded. Read More