JANIS JOPLIN: "Pearl" (+ bonus & live tracks)

Original released on LP Columbia KC 30332

(US 1971, January 11)

Janis Joplin's second masterpiece (after "Cheap Thrills"), "Pearl" was designed as a showcase for her powerhouse vocals, stripping down the arrangements that had often previously cluttered her music or threatened to drown her out. Thanks also to a more consistent set of songs, the results are magnificent - given room to breathe, Joplin's trademark rasp conveys an aching, desperate passion on funked-up, bluesy rockers, ballads both dramatic and tender, and her signature song, the posthumous number one hit "Me and Bobby McGee." The unfinished "Buried Alive in the Blues" features no Joplin vocals - she was scheduled to record them on the day after she was found dead. Its incompleteness mirrors Joplin's career: "Pearl"'s power leaves the listener to wonder what else Joplin could have accomplished, but few artists could ask for a better final statement. (Steve Huey in AllMusic)

I wonder if Janis knew she was recording a masterpiece at the time. I doubt it, but this her 4th & final Lp is not only her best but one of the best classic rock Lps of all-time. Here Janis has the prefect blend of blues, pop, folk & rock in the performance & choice of songs to complement her always extraordinary voice. the Full-Tilt Boogie Band play with tasteful restraint, not needing to overplay to prove their chops foreshadowing quality playing. The closing song "Get It While You Can" is a fitting epitaph given Janis' untimely death. I mourn the lost of what could have been had Janis lived. She finally found her musical balance but unfortunately died before she could have created more. I am grateful that she left us with a perfect album. (in AllMusic)

While listening through this album it feels as though the Full Tilt Boogie Band isn’t as strong of a band as Big Brother and the Holding Company. The problem with “Full Tilt” is Janis is a powerhouse vocally. She needs a powerhouse band to match her, or at least keep up. They had trouble keeping up at the beginning. Janis is really hitting her stride, but her band feels like a cold horse with a rider that wants to see how fast the horse can go. What made the songs were the direction Janis was going. She was coming into her own as a songwriter. By the end of "Pearl", both the band and Janis get much better. They find their groove and the songs sound much stronger because of it. If they were given more time to record one more album it would be a masterpiece. Sadly, Janis died months before the album was released and we never know what musical direction she would venture next. (in AllMusic)