Breathe a sigh and relax somewhat -- Jennifer Avalon does better on this album, Shores of Avalon, than on Phoenix Rising. "Springs of Vallejo" is a gentle and melodic instrumental, quite nicely performed, as is "Flight of the Falcon" and "There and Back." "Little John's Violin" is actually a peaceful, pleasing ballad, mildly Celtic flavored, that conveys a story, and is so much better than the drivelly lyrics on almost every cut in Phoenix Rising, that listeners with the misfortune to have heard that album first may be surprised at the relief they feel, hearing selections that are likeable, here. (No kidding -- how anybody could call Phoenix Rising "uplifting" when it's so heavily mired in syrup is a wonder.) Shores of Avalon is observably better. It's too bad that Phoenix Rising follows Shores of Avalon rather than predates it. Now, granted, "Raised on Rain" has its platitudinal moments, however it's saved by its cheerful, upbeat instrumentals and never quite falls over the edge into goo like "Third Planet From the Sun" on Phoenix Rising does. "Paper Garden" is sentimental, but acceptably so, dodging the idolization that surfaces later, on Phoenix Rising, in "Indian Prince." Unfortunately, "Good to Be a Woman" focuses only on the superficial surface details of the positiveness about womanhood, saluting clothes, nail polish, and such. Gotta clue ya, honey, Sojourner Truth had a greater and truer grasp of what's fundamental about womanhood in her poem "Ain't I a Woman" than this smugly complacent "Good to Be a Woman" ditty possibly can. The weak links in this album are "Blank Pages," which sounds just a bit off key on low notes, and "Commandment Song," which gets the triple strikeout of being insipidly religious, indifferently instrumentalized, and pallidly sung. "Lighthouse" does a little better, having an interesting beat, but, again, it goes off on too preachy an approach to lyrics. Give those a miss, unless you have fundamental leanings. Unfortunately, these selections detract from the overall rating of the album. To sum up, while this effort has it flaws, it would make a much better introduction to the artist's work than Phoenix Rising ever will. ~ Murrday Fisher, All Music Guide
