Janis Ian has grown into a charming, mature singer-songwriter. There is surely some of the snotty kid in there somewhere, but what was once called uppityness is now called arrogance….

Recently, with the re-release of her very first recordings, that pretentious teenager has come back to haunt Janis Ian….

Listening now to "Society's Child," "Janey's Blues" or even "New Christ Cardiac Hero," all songs on that first album, one has to allow for the period of time during which they were made. It was a time of musical exploration, the emergence of folk-rock as a viable form; a time of great self-righteousness and pretension. What does shine through is the quality of both Janis' musical ideas and voice. She makes Tanya Tucker seem like some shallow upstart as she wails through strong lyrics with poise and emotional intensity. No wonder teenagers who prided themselves on their "sensitivity" went...