This disc is both a reissue of Jackie DeShannon’s hits that she sang, and songs she wrote that others had hits with, and more importantly the songs are newly recorded versions of those songs; thus the songs are the same and they are different.  The songs are stripped down which opens them up and that allows the words to resonate more clearly within you.  “Think of your fellow man, lend him a helping hand, put a little love in your heart.”  Those words are from her 1969 single which took her to the top of the charts that she wrote with Jimmy Holiday and her brother Randy Myers.  The words ring just as true today as back then (particularly when you listen to how politics are conducted in this country now).  This disc contains her songs that were hits for her and/or others, and also versions of songs she made into hits that were written by others such as Jack Nitzsche and Sonny Bono’s “Needles and Pins.”  The disc shows her to be a fine writer as well as someone who has a feel for the intent in a song.

This disc shows off DeShannon’s songs and her voice that contains a world of emotion.  There is scarcity of backing here, mostly acoustic guitar and bass, a smattering of strings and a subtle electric guitar every now and again and on some songs a bit of quiet percussion.  The only musician credit is Steve Luxenbourg on acoustic guitar! It is a walk down a path many has beauty and emotion as thoughts that grab our attention go wafting by grabbing our attention with the sense they make.  There is one new song of hers that fits right in with the others, “Will You Stay In My Life,” it reflects the uncertainty that rules in these new days and shows that though the years have passed she is still a songwriter to be reckoned with.