Customer Reviews

California Years

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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Jill Sobule has been writing the kind of tight, catchy songs you can't help but hum--or whistle--or sing to yourself--long after you've heard them. And she's been doing it for years. The new stuff offered here is no different--San Francisco, Nothing To Prove, Where Is Bobbie Gentry--I'm trying to pull out the best songs here, but heck, they're all good. Really good. There isn't a weak track on this recording.

Jill's songs can be wickedly satirical, poignant, pointed, subtly hilarious, or broken-hearted (but never cloying or saccharine)--sometimes within the same song. And yes, she "kissed a girl" back when that other singer was still in diapers, but that song, her "big hit," is only representative of her work by it's hooks and wit. It was a pop masterpiece and hugely popular, but it isn't even close to her best work. This is.

As an aside, and to demonstrate how much people love Jill Sobule's music, this record was fully funded by HER FANS--not a record company. Many, many average, everyday people sent investments, ultimately raising about $80,000, which was used to record, produce, and publish this record. That's how much people wanted a new Jill Sobule record.

They weren't disappointed. The result, produced by legendary rock maestro Don Was, is flawless. Buy it; you won't be disappointed, either.

I've just finished my second listen...(on my third as I type) After eagerly waiting for this record for so long... absolutely not disappointed! I'm not surprised, I Love everything Jill Sobule does, she's such a special talent.

Funded by loving fans, Jill Sobule returned the Love with this wonderful album. It's all things at once... familiar, fresh, intimate, catchy. As usual there is wonderful storytelling and smart, clever, gifted songwriting.

If your already a fan you know how special she is and this is a wonderful addition to her catalog. If your new to Jill's music do yourself a favor and check her out, she's a very unique voice and is everything that the music industry should be. She's an original Artist with talent & integrity!

I was fortunate enough to catch Jill Sobule at Philadelphia's Tin Angel club, where she not only previewed some of these songs for us lucky attendees, but she also invited me (and a bunch of others) to sing "All The Young Dudes" with her. She also sold us download "USB keys" that offered the opportunity to own that night's show...so somewhere out there, you can hear my voice bellowing the verses to Mott The Hoople with Jill. But that also meant that I've been listening to "San Francisco," "Nothing To Prove" and a few others prior to "California Years" arriving.

So I am already predisposed to loving this CD, and Jill Sobule once again did not let me down. Fan-funded and self-released, "California Years' is primarily inspired by Jill's move out west and all the golden glow (and mirages) Southern Cal has to offer. There's the on/off fascination that opens the album on a visit to Palm Springs, where a hike into the beautiful desert hills is so hot that you turn back, or vibrancy of the pictures you've seen gives way to a resort filled with seniors.

There's also the musical contradiction. Is Palm Springs, California the sunny fun-filled world of Brian Wilson or the tragic wanderlust of Graham Parsons? Jill's previous CD, Underdog Victorious, played with the contradictions by hiding some sad subjects under glossy pop, but here the sadness gets the low cry of pedal steel. It's some pretty awesome stuff. Same for "San Francisco."

Not that Jill has lost her sense of humor. Both the biting "Nothing To Prove" and "Spiderman" take broad pokes at the entertainment business. "Mexican Pharmacy" is a bit more of a realistic take on why Tijuana has such a great rep for inexpensive drugstores. And there's the shaggy-dog story of "Where is Bobbie Gentry," which takes a long over-due look at what happened on the Tallahatchie Bridge some 40 years later.

"California Years" is proof to me that, once again, Jill Sobule's best music making years are still in progress. Her "I Kissed A Girl" fling in the spotlight may be two decades past, but CD's like "California Years" give fans like us reason to keep coming back.

Jill Sobule has a well-established reputation for writing songs that touch the heart by way of the funnybone, and 'California Years' is no exception! It's filled with Jill's funky, folky lyrical style and music that rocks, soothes and playfully brings the listener on a journey of day to day experiences from the mundane to the sublime. Sobule keeps you wanting to hear more, know more and play along!

I landed on Jill about the time I started getting so sick of the over the top production in music. I was drowning in a sea of overdubs and tweeks that could make anything sound like music and I was losing faith. I went in search of pure and simple and Jill fit the bill, restored my love of music and maybe, just maybe, saved my life.
This new CD is pure and simple and great - just like all the others of hers that I own. Its the kind of personal songs that make you feel like you know her ( I bet she has a lot of creepy fans - worse than me, even.)
Its refreshing to my ears - just like I needed it to be.
Jill Sobule is great

I've always been a big fan of Jill Sobule's work, and this album didn't disappoint. She seems to be going into deeper material than in Underdog Victorious, but the dry humor and great voice she's known for are still there. Worth buying for sure - don't just download this one!

Jill held an online fund-raiser for the money to record and promote this album, and she took in about $80K, which tells you that she has a close connection to her fans. This looks back to the patronage system of support for the arts, and it may be something we'll see more of in the future as the big record companies get more stingy and narrow in the types of artists they sign and fund.

Although the financing was different, there is not a huge difference between California Years and her previous two studio albums. Her output is very consistent in quality. Jill's songs are witty, melodic, personal, sarcastic, sometimes comic, sometimes deeply touching. If you are new to Jill Sobule, you can find samples of her work on Myspace and on her personal website, jillsobule.com. You could think of it as modern folk-pop music, with a woman's emotional and aesthetic sensitivity.

The bucks donated by her fans were to enable her to use professional studios and hire a major producer, which she did -- Don Was. As far as I can tell, Don Was' touch is a little different, but he did not use a heavy hand. Texture and effects are added here and there, but Jill's voice and guitar generally remain the focal point. San Francisco and a few other songs are given major production with layers of vocals and instrumentation, but that is balanced with quiet, spare instrumentation on quieter songs.

To be honest, having heard many of the demos Jill has posted on her website over the years, I think Jill is perfectly capable of doing production herself. It would save money and the result would not be significantly different. It might even be superior.

Although this was supposed to have been a high class studio project, some of the vocals seem inexpertly recorded. On too many songs Jill is too close to the mike and sounds like she's singing with her head in a small box. It's too breathy and claustrophobic. (The same thing happened with Sting's vocals on his album of John Dowland songs.) If you look at a typical recording studio arrangement, a vocalist will be 6-12 inches from the microphone with a bit more space around her. I don't know who is to blame but it is a minor flaw in the production.

Jill Sobule remains a relative obscurity, and it is hard to understand why. Her songwriting is far more consistent than a number of big stars I could name. She's written a number of good songs that haven't appeared on her albums. Her personality and humor comes through in her music. Though I don't share her political views, which she sometimes expresses in song and in her journal, I find her personally sympathetic and her music very clever and likable. I recommend you give her music a try.

smart, funny, moving, often all within one song, Sobule is a remarkable talent deserving far greater acclaim. Her new record may well be her career's finest. Subtly & tastefully produced by Don Was (and featuring Jim Keltner (!!@@$) on drums and the awesome Greg Leisz on assorted slide guitars, California Years needs to be heard by anyone who cares about songwriting. And you have never seen her play live, do not miss her. She will mesmerize you.

Maybe its due to the fact that Jill was unencumbered by record execs - but this album feels like a marked departure from Jill's previous releases - pribably because it was funded by her fans. This one feels less-structured, more organic, and ultimately more personal. Who else is gonna sing odes to the likes of Bobbie Gentry?

I had the pleasure of first seeing Jill Sobule when she toured with Cyndi Lauper. I must say this is someone that I wish had more commercial success. Her lyrics are sarcastic, witty, and to the point in so many ways. I find her words charming and meaningful, and had been anxiously waiting for this self produced album.

There is a collection of old or unreleased songs along with new songs. If you haven't listened to her before, you have been missing so much. She often writes of political activism, sexism, and and many other isms, and she ends up being the person you would want to invite over for coffee. Love this album, unrequited love, a man who plays spiderman, and pining after a waitress. Makes for a wonderful journey while listening to this album.