by Richie Unterberger

Although rated very highly by many Jansch fans, Rosemary Lane isn't quite as striking as his best albums of the '60s. It's more of a delivery of all the attributes listeners had come to expect of him by 1971 -- excellent acoustic guitar work, imaginative interpretations of traditional material and well-constructed originals in the same vein, and committed vocals -- than a step forward, or even sideways. It's perhaps one of his more low-key efforts, both in the sparse arrangements and the subdued tone. It's certainly a worthy effort on its own terms, even if it's largely a restatement of already visited themes.