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May 01, 2008
Posted by kramer
Every once in a while I come across an artist that I enjoy but most of my friends despise. Jill Barber would most likely fall into this category. She surprised me as I typically don't like a typical "folk" sound and her sound really has a lot of country influences in it. There really isn't a single song on her debut FOR ALL TIME that could not be used as a slow dance a high school prom either. Despite all of this, I still like her and I can see why she has been such a huge hit in Canada.
I would compare her voice to a younger version of Stevie Nicks. Now that is why my wife says I like her because I have an unhealthy obsession with Stevie Nicks' Fleetwood Mac songs. However, Jill's voice has something else to it that makes it a bit warmer. It is almost like she wraps her voice around you like a blanket and you are enveloped in her musical goodness.
Most of Jill's songs on her debut would not be labeled "uplifting" by any means. But in her defense, I couldn't picture myself slitting my wrists to her music like I would with maybe an album of Lucinda Williams songs (Lucinda is a GREAT songwriter but she doesn't write HAPPY songs by any means). Miss Barber has some quality harmonies provided by her back-up singers on most of the songs ("Don't Go Easy and "Just for now") and she offers a variety of folk styles ("When I'm Making Love to you").
The standouts that you should check out to get a good feel of what Jill Barber has to offer are 'Hard Line" and "Legacy." I believe that she will be writing some quality albums in the future as well.
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