Collected

Perhaps the intent behind the release of this album was as pure as many of the themes romantic balladeer D.C. Anderson sings about. Of the 20 songs on the play list, just four are previously unreleased. The other 16 are from two earlier albums, Anderson's first, Time Was issued in 1993, and Blue Summer Day, a two-CD set issued in 2000. Anderson justifies the regurgitation of this older material on the self-serving grounds that "I love this music and can't bear the thought of it being unavailable." (It should be noted that Blue Summer Day is still available.) But this does not detract from the enjoyment of Anderson's pretty, precious way with songs of contemporary everyday life themes, such as "Is It Peace or Is It Prozac." Most of what Anderson has included in his repertoire consists of short single-chorused vignettes, making a pithy comment and then moving on to the next. With his delicate high-pitched voice, often approaching falsetto, he effortlessly segues from one ballad to the next with longtime accompanist Lem Jay Ignacio providing the bulk of the support. Anderson is a master at this style.