Silver Tongued Devil & I
Me and Bobbie McGeetechnically marks Kris Kristofferson's recording debut. But that collection (originally released in 1970 under the nameKristoffersonand rereleased a year later afterJanis Joplinhit with what became the title track) feels like an intro to an accomplished songwriter. This 1971 set is, in many ways, the man's opening salvo as a recording artist. Surrounded by a crew of Nashville cats, Kristofferson molds together a 10-song sophomore outing that, while not as hits-laden as its predecessor, is more cohesive. Highlights include two of the songsmith's loveliest ballads ("Loving Her Was Easier" and "When I Loved Her"), an elegy for Joplin ("Epitaph"), and what could stand for the then nascent outlaw nation's national anthem ("The Pilgrim, Chapter 33").--Steven Stolder