The sweetly nostalgic, “When I was a Girl in Colorado,” pines for those pre-fame years when Judy’s life centered around seasonal outdoor joys. “So Alive” establishes the album’s sublimely detailed production aesthetic which features a palette of acoustic guitar, textured electric guitar, piano, keys, lyrical bass lines, brushed drums, and Judy’s angelic vocals. The majestical track, “So Alive,” is an exhilarating time capsule of a song that documents the dazzling excitement and possibility of 1960s folk boom in Greenwich Village. “I do a lot to protect and take care of my voice, and I practice every day-you have to or you lose it.” Judy’s singing on “Spellbound” shines pristinely as she eases from warm low-register vocals to soaring high tones, as if no time has elapsed since her singing mesmerized a generation on “Wildflowers.” “That’s a combination of good fortune, extreme luck, and hard work and discipline,” she reveals. While she celebrates many passages in life with her lyrics, her vocals sound untouched by time. “I strove to capture what I see with lyrics, and bring particular times to life,” she says of the album’s painterly and personal songwriting. Lyrically, the songs are impressionistic and evocatively emotional. The title references a formative time in Judy’s life when her pure love of the outdoors lured her close to becoming a park ranger. Her response was to sit down at her Steinway that very day and write, “Since You’ve Asked.” Judy has been writing ever since then.Ī lifetime and 54 years of songwriting elegantly come forth from “Spellbound.” The album revisits the thrilling 1960s Greenwich Village years recreates breathtaking moments in the wilds of Colorado during Judy’s childhood snapshots her hellraising years and frames quiet moments of nature from just a few years back. Story goes that in 1966 Leonard Cohen made a special trip to Judy’s apartment to play her his song, “Suzanne,” and, while there, asked her why she wasn’t writing her own songs. Also, in her notes, Judy relates the origins of her songwriting-a story some know, and a testament to how gloriously unpredictable art and the muse are. On the album, she furthers their traditions of generously sharing their lives, loves, and personal reflection. In Judy’s eloquently written liner notes, she dedicates “Spellbound” to folk masters Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie. This album was necessary for me to keep creative-it was the next piece of the puzzle.” She continues: “Now felt like the perfect time to make this record because, after all that’s happened in the world, we need something beautiful and inspirational to lift us up.” “The truth is, I didn’t do an album like this sooner because I had other projects on my mind. “They say after the plague came the Renaissance,” Judy says with a good-natured laugh, loosely referencing the pandemic. It unfolds as if Judy curated a museum exhibit of her life, and welcomed us into a retrospective of her most formative moments, some big and public, and some intensely personal and intimate. It features 12 new recently-written modern folk songs, and a bonus track of her evergreen, “The Blizzard.” “Spellbound” is an introspective and impressionistic album.
It marks the first time ever she wrote all the songs on one of her albums.
The 13 song album is a special entry in her oeuvre. The cultural treasure’s 55th release, “Spellbound,” out February 25, 2022, finds Judy enjoying an artistic renaissance. Now, in her 6th decade as a singer and songwriter, Judy is experiencing a profound level of growth and prolific creativity.
Her discerning palette, and her literary gifts, have enabled her to evolve into a poetic, storyteller songwriter.
On her landmark 1967 album, “Wildflowers,” she curated a stunning collection featuring originals alongside songs by not-yet household names such as Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen, and adventurous selections by Jacques Brel and Francesco Landini. In her 50-plus years in music, Judy Collins has always exhibited impeccable taste in songcraft.
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