Jackie DeShannon

A collection billed as The Songwriters Collection cries out for an explanation -- not even a lengthy one -- of what this designation means. None are forthcoming on Raven's High Coinage: The Songwriters Collection 1960-1984, whose liner notes consist of nothing more than a good interview conducted in 1982 by Glenn A. Baker, the compiler of this collection. This showcases songwriters, but that doesn't necessarily mean that all 26 songs here are covers: there are several Jackie DeShannon originals, including collaborations with Sharon Sheeley, Randy Newman, Jack Nitzsche, and Van Morrison. Interspersed among these are songs by Newman, Warren Zevon, Van Dyke Parks, Robbie Robertson, Bob Crewe and Gary Knight, Garry Bonner and Alan Gordon, Bobby Womack, and John Barry and Hal David, spanning different eras but most pulled from the '60s. There are a few hits here but most of her big hits are missing, so this can't be called a hits compilation -- instead it's a cross section of DeShannon's work, all of it strong, as songs, performances, and records. Who this collection is for remains a bit of a mystery, though. It's not an introduction and it's not necessarily revelatory of either DeShannon's gifts as an interpreter or a songwriter, as its conception is too muddled. Think of it then as a "more of the best," a disc to turn to after a hits collection but before the actual albums, as it gives snapshots of high points from her career even if it never provides a map to navigate them. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide