Diabolical Streak

Jill Tracy | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 15, 1999)
• Original Release Date: August 3, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: 125 Records
• ASIN: B00000K0N5
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #96,679 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

Jill Tracy is both villainess and heroine of her own musical netherworld. The San Francisco-based artist has garnered multiple awards and a devoted following for her evocative cinematic music, sophisticated lyrics, old-world glamour, and curious passion for strange tales.

Hailed by critics as a "femme fatale for the thinking man," Tracy was described by NPR’s All Things Considered as "utterly intriguing... luring you into a magical kingdom solely of her creation." LA Weekly calls her "very distinctive and exciting."

Her signature sound conjures up images of wonder cabinets, hidden passageways and opium dens, but at the same time, it’s shockingly new. Jill Tracy coos in a voice of cut-velvet smoke, ornately framed by her dark classical-cum-parlour piano, creating a world of opulence and danger, of magic and madness. As one critic put it: "You know it’s not safe here; but with Jill Tracy as your guide, you’ll be in no hurry to leave."

With her recent forays into filmmaking, writing, acting and theatre, Jill Tracy is redefining the image of modern day renaissance artist. But beneath her trademark sound and style lurks cold steel. No corporate-contrived cookie cutter blandness here. She is refreshing proof that smart... is sexy.

Product Description

Diabolical Streak [Audio CD] Tracy, Jill

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars While away an hour., October 2, 2004

By 

Gerald J. Wyckoff (OP, Kansas, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Diabolical Streak (Audio CD)

I found out about Jill Tracy while trying to find some new music to listen to. After listening to a few of her songs I was able to find online, I bought the album. I was not disappointed.

Jill Tracy has a voice like smoke in a San Francisco bar; a reminder of a different era. Her piano work is the perfect companion, and the "Malcontents" help complete the wonderful feel of the album.

If that doesn't do it for you, the lyrics will. Murder, poisoning, and mayhem, all rolled into one package, with a little bit of love on the side. If you liked "Murder Ballads" (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds), try this on for size. If you're a fan of noir films and books, ditto.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jill Tracy: Damn fine musician and a nice woman., October 25, 2001

By 

"skarecreau" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diabolical Streak (Audio CD)

I wasn't quite sure what to think when I got this CD. I had her debut album ("Quintessentially Unreal", if you can find it) which was just her singing and playing piano and it reminded me a little too much of a darker version of Tori Amos (who, at the time, I really disliked). But I'd heard that she got together a backup band, the Malcontent Orchestra, and that had helped mature her sound. Well, I was very pleased with the results. While her first album has grown on me over time, "Diabolical Streak" was the one I fell instantly in love with. The music is rich, the lyrics are very clever and sly and sexy. So I went to see her a couple of times with my wife some friends (she's a local, fortunately) and she spoke with us and seemed genuinely flattered that we liked her music, which was a relief compared to many other musicians I've met. I highly recommend this album to fans of gothic music (especially neo-classical), fans of Tori Amos or any other female singer/piano player, or fans of ragtime music.
On a further note, she and the Malcontent Orchestra performed the live score to the silent film "Nosferatu" (which, unfortunately, I missed) and according to their website are planning on releasing it on CD. That should be a real treat to play along with the film at home.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Is this Heaven . . . or Hell? Can I stay?, March 1, 2005

By 

Johnny Clay (Leavenworth, KS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diabolical Streak (Audio CD)

This album is, in a word . . . diabolical. I can't stop listening to it. This woman has a way of getting under your skin, and believe me -- that's not a bad thing. Or is it? I'm hooked now! The sound is completely distinctive, the lyrics brilliantly original, and the voice deleriously seductive.

Jill Tracy, who are you? Can you come out and play? Can you at least put out another album? Please, don't make me beg!