Although it was a live album,
Jane Olivor's fifth LP release, In Concert, could be considered her next regular recording rather than the usual profit-taking remake of past hits. At least two-thirds of it could, since eight of the 12 tracks were songs she had not recorded previously. Her back catalog was accounted for by "Better Days (Looks as Though We're Doing Somethin' Right)" and "Carousel of Love" from First Night, the title song from Stay the Night, and "Weeping Willows, Cattails" from The Best Side of Goodbye. Her other choices were typically opposite and typically surprising. She reclaimed John Denver's 1974 hit "Annie's Song" from a female perspective, rediscovered a worthy but underrated 1980 singles chart entry from Grace Slick with "Seasons," anticipated the success of Dan Fogelberg's "Run for the Roses," and provided a vocal version of Vangelis' hit theme from the hit film Chariots of Fire with "Race to the End." These tracks continued her mission of making art songs out of thoughtful pop, but her fans had to be most excited by the inclusion of three songs co-written by the singer: "Pretty Girl," "Where There Is Love," and "Marigold Wings (Earthbound)." Here, she indulged her taste for torch singing to the fullest and suggested that she might be able to make the transition to being a singer/songwriter. Alas, In Concert proved to be a swan song, at least to the initial phase of
Olivor's career. Music business pressures and personal tragedy combined to take her away from performing for more than a decade and away from the record bins for more than 18 years, which made her final Columbia album a precious document instead of the relatively minor addition to her catalog it had seemed at the time of its release. ~ William Ruhlmann