Collector's Choice
1969
Early Morning Blues And Greens
About This Album
Diane Hildebrand was hardly the only worthy singer/songwriter whose career was kick-started by writing songs for the Monkees (she penned "Early Morning Blues and Greens," "Goin' Down," and "Your Auntie Grizelda"), but while Neil Diamond, Harry Nilsson, John Stewart, Tommy Boyce, and Bobby Hart all went on to enjoy interesting recording careers, Hildebrand's tenure as a performer seemingly began and ended with this album, originally released in 1969. Early Morning Blues and Greens is certainly an ambitious and well-crafted record; Hildebrand's voice is lovely and while she murmurs more than she shouts, she gives her material a strongly emotional reading at all times, and producers David Anderle and Russ Miller created some striking backdrops for her, suggesting a warmer and more personable variation on the Euro-centric sounds of Judy Collins' late-'60s work, dominated by the spare dynamics of acoustic keyboards and guitars. Melodically, Hildebrand's songs suggest Leonard Cohen's early works and there's a similar air of glorious sorrow to her songs that's palpable and intriguing. However, while Hildebrand's music is certainly pretty, it also seems a bit pretentious, and for all the beauty of the surfaces there isn't as much depth as one might hope. Early Morning Blues and Greens suggests the work of an artist who was struggling to move beyond writing contract pop songs and didn't quite hit the mark with her first album, though there's too much here that's worthwhile to not wonder why she never made another record. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
Track List (try tracks 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 and 8)

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