God & the FBI

Janis Ian | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 21, 2000)
• Original Release Date: March 21, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Windham Hill/Sbme
• ASIN: B00004RCQH
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #64,359 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #77 in Music > Indie Music > Folk > Singer Songwriters

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Janis Ian: Touching, lyrical and upbeat in God and the FBI, March 27, 2000

By 

Anna McCabe (Philadelphia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: God & the FBI (Audio CD)

This new release from Janis Ian is a terrific album which is definitely worth a listen for anyone who has ever liked Ian's music, as well as newcomers to her work. The lyrical touching element of Ian's work is well represented in a wonderful song about death: On the Other Side (which includes some beautiful harmonies on the "requiem" at the end of the track). Also in the typical Janis Ian tradition are: She Must be Beautiful (a live version that benefits from the simplicity of the piano accompaniment) and Days Like These. The upbeat numbers include the title track, Murdering Stravinsky and The Last Comeback. However, the best upbeat tracks have a slightly country feel that suits the singer, and include Jolene, Play like a Girl and Boots like Emmy Lou's. One of the finest jewels of the album, in my opinion, is the ballad Memphis which is a duet with Willie Nelson. This is a truly thought provoking and different album from an artist who never ceases to develop her talent and songwriting craft. An inspiration to us all!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The truth at 17, July 2, 2000

By 

Kate Alexandra (Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: God & the FBI (Audio CD)

The truth I learned at 17 was that Janis Ian was going to a formidable musical force in my life, through re-invention and resurgence she has been with me for over thirty years and still she has the power to surprise. God and the FBI is a staggeringly good piece of work, with Janis' voice a virtuoso instrument easily encompassing the varying styles, from the haunting passion of She must be Beautiful to the electric insistence of When you love Someone, I was captivated anew. The Last Comeback, hopefully not a prophesy, is a powerhouse singalong with a darker undercurrent. The playful "Boots like EmmyLou" a poke in the eye for those who insist that Janis has no sense of humour. Jolene and Murdering Stravinsky are commercial, upbeat winners and this whole CD will be on my favoutites list for a long time. If you don't know her work, this is a hell of an introduction

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Janis Ian's surprise - one of the years best pop CD's!, May 24, 2000

By 

rash67 (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: God & the FBI (Audio CD)

I was pleasantly surprised to learn a CD I heard in a store was by an artist that, well, I had never liked, Janis Ian. I had found her earlier music self-righteously liberal.

"God and the FBI" is one of the best crafted album of the new millennium, a grab bag of musical styles. The more you listen the better it gets.

The lead off title song "God and the FBI" is the best song on the album, reminiscent of Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" with a funkier beat, and similar subject matter, evokes the paranoia of the 60's, but with a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor. Janis' lead guitar player even sneaks in a few notes from "Purple Haze"!

The album is uniformly tuneful with a complex, many layered production. All sorts of sneaky stuff in the sides and background!

As is stated below, Janis pokes gentle fun at Emmie Lou Harris's rhinestone boots and Hummingbird guitar. Sings an eerie first-person song about a hero who saved a group of children and we come to find is a ghost. A pean to obsessive love "When you Love Someone" has a whisper chorus like The Doors "Riders on the Storm".

The album meanders through the vast variety of styles with its center of gravity in folk rock and country and end with the "Stravinsky" song and layered voices coming at you from different directions like the end of the Beatles "Good Day, Sunshine". Janis Ian's voice occationally sounds like Sarah McLaughlin. She manages to maintain her sense of humour and perspective throughout.

Deserves a lot of airplay. If you've written off Janis Ian before, you will be really surprised. MY Rating - Four and 1/2 stars - the best music Janis Ian has ever done.