Due to hits like "Somebody to Love" or "White Rabbit," The Jefferson Airplane looked like a rock band to many. But at their core they were always folk singers who picked up electric guitars. In returning full-throttle to his folk roots on Jefferson Starship presents Jefferson’s Tree of Liberty, Paul Kanter has put together his best release since the legendary Blows Against The Empire. The new CD holds the two key ingredients of any good Airplane/Starship release - beautiful, energetic harmonies and intelligence.

The CD kicks off with a direct nod to the past with the opening chords to one of the Airplanes most famous call to arms, Volunteers. In one quick breath the song takes a left run from that familiar chord sequence and breaks into the "Weavers Wasn’t That a Time". The hints at Volunteers weave throughout the song and creates a seamless link from the past through the present and into the future. A violin solo by David La Flamme (It’s  A Beautiful Day) adds to the sense of community that the release creates from the very beginning. It is a sense of community that runs throughout every song.

The highlight of any Starship release is the mix that the singers create. The three primary vocalists here are Kanter, David Freiberg and Cathy Richardson. They work together so well that it sounds as if they had been playing coffeehouses and inspiring others to action for thirty years. Surrounding them are various members of Starship touring group and previous vocalists. Marty Balin shows up on the memorable ballad, "Maybe For You." Darby Gould takes the lead on a thoughtful a capella version of Richard Farina’s "The Quiet Joys of Brotherhood" while Grace Slick joins the group to close the proceedings with "Surprise." This incarnation of The Starship moves through Ledbetter, Guthrie, Ochs, Dylan and also walk among folk traditionals as well as songs made famous by Fairport Convention and Quicksilver.

The best of folk has always combined the past into the present with a prayer for the future. On "Imagine Redemption" the Starship mashes Lennon’s "Imagine" into Marley’s "Redemption Song" and creates a new chorus of hope. Just like hip-hop and rap often pounds two different songs into something new, Kanter and company add a new chorus of hope and a prayer for peace to the folk cannon. In the booklet that accompanies the CD Kanter adds his own notes which help illuminate each song. By going back fifty years to where he started and pulling in a community of friends around him, Kanter has created a work that will long outlast almost anything else that has been released under the Starship name.