Ruthann Friedman

Singer/songwriter Ruthann Friedman, best known as the lovelorn scribe behind the Association's 1967 smash hit "Windy," released her one and only album on Reprise in 1968. With a voice that fell somewhere between Linda Thompson and Grace Slick, Friedman's lone collection, the sparse and surprisingly powerful Constant Companion, bristles with the polarizing emotional state of the late-'60s West Coast counterculture movement. Like Jefferson Airplane -- she had previously been in a duo with Peter Kaukonen, brother of Airplane guitarist Jorma -- Friedman's lyrics touched on both the darkness and the good of the era, channeling the literate wisdom of Joni Mitchell and exuding a vocal confidence that brings to mind contemporary artists such as Faun Fables and Cat Power. All of the tracks, besides "Morning Becomes You," which features guitar work from Kaukonen, and the bonus track "Carry On (Glittering Dancer)," which boasts arrangements by former boyfriend Van Dyke Parks, rely only on Friedman's slightly bluesy guitar work and gorgeous voice. Fans of Sibylle Baier's equally haunting lone '70s recording, Colour Green, or Vashti Bunyan's Just Another Diamond Day will find much to love here. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide