Janis Joplin
I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!

THE REVIEW

This is the first true solo album of a legend.
A whirlwind of music, of femininity, of loneliness, of desperation.
Janis doesn't sing like others, she screams her need to be loved!

An eccentric and problematic character, Janis Joplin leads a life of immense popularity and equally great disappointments. From an innocent and not-so-pretty girl from the province, she reaches success with Big Brother And The Holding Company. A golden period begins from a professional point of view, but also an abyss she will not escape. Fame surrounds her with men, each time she deceives herself into being loved and the next day the lovers unerringly disappear, leaving her alone with drugs and Southern Comfort. But for Janis, there is also music, and she sings. She does it by putting all the despair she lives in her voice, and when she takes the stage, she leaves everyone breathless. Her charisma is such that every newspaper reviewing her concert believes the band is not up to her level!

The judgment is unanimous, and even Janis is convinced of it.

This album is a testament to Miss Joplin's attempt to make up for this deficiency. She wanted a band of soul professionals like those who accompanied Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin. Indeed, the album marks a shift from the psychedelic rock of her beginnings to a more mature r'n'b sound.
It is a well-played work (though far from the initial goal), which gives great prominence to the harmonies of the excellent brass section.

But it is the lyrics that make the album a masterpiece.

Janis doesn't write all the songs, but she always chooses pieces that concern her, that tell of the anguish of loneliness. Janis begs to be loved, asks not to be left alone, and she does it crying. An honorable mention goes to the triad that closes the album: "Kozmic Blues", "Little Girl Blue", and the heartbreaking plea of "Work Me Lord".

According to much of the criticism, this is not her best work. It may be true if compared to the sixties charm of the previous "Cheap Thrills" or the formal completeness of the last "Pearl." In my opinion, it is the album that contains in every note the guiding thread of all the art this woman was capable of, and that is why I consider it a fundamental milestone for all music lovers.