Happy Town

Jill Sobule | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 18, 1997)
• Original Release Date: March 18, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Atlantic / Wea
• ASIN: B000005J7J
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #148,802 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An enormous talent who may be too wry to ever be a huge star, October 28, 1999

By 

Captain Opinionated (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Happy Town (Audio CD)

In a perfect world, Jill Sobule would be incredibly famous and sell tons of records. She is an incredibly gifted songwriter with a irreverent, sly, wicked sense of humor. So ironic are many of her lyrics that some of the dimmer bulbs out there buying music may not (read: don't) "get" her or confuse her back-handed commentaries on a variety of topics with endorsements of them (the same problem dogs other such talented smart-asses like Randy Newman). Despite being featured on many a hit movie's soundtrack, she has never broken out as a major success. Too bad, because she's great, offering up catchy, interestingly-arranged songs about such topics as the religious right ("Soldiers of Christ"), struggles in the music biz ("Bitter"), Prozac ("Happy Town"), and high-school misfits ("Underacheiver"). This, her third disc, is more experimental and far-reaching than the one previous, "Jill Sobule," but both show a big talent waiting to be discovered. Buy this CD, become a Sobule convert, and hope she gets another recording contract (Atlantic dumped her due to poor sales).

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How did Jill Sobule enter in to my head...., January 14, 2002

By 

"puzzlefreak55" (lansdowne, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Happy Town (Audio CD)

...And how long does she plan on staying there? Almost every song on this album seemed like it could have been written by me. That is, if I had the time/energy/talent to write the insightful lyrics that Jill has given to us this time. "Happy Town" is the story of my life after the Prozac (bleh), "Underacheiver" is what my day-to-day life has been since the fourth grade, "Soldiers of Christ" made me both laugh and cry, when I realised just how damn true it was for me. And even if you aren't me (you poor souls!) I'm sure you'll find Jill's lyrics amazing & true, and her music is always, seems to be coming straight from the soul.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars We're all even now in Happy Town, September 12, 2007

By 

Tim Brough "author and music buff" (Springfield, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Happy Town (Audio CD)

Jill Sobule must have been feeling the pressure after "I Kissed a Girl" hit the spotlight as a novelty, because the follow-up to "Jill Sobule" is a very serious affair. Lacking much of the zing of her breakthrough album but showing her mettle as songwriter, "Happy Town" is tailor made for the Lilith Fair crowd that was transforming the face of women in rock at that time. But it also lacks any songs with significant staying power.

The biggest winners here are the upbeat songs, like "Bitter" and "When My Ship Comes In," which are deceptively peppy kiss-offs (like "Good Person Inside" from the previous CD). The title track is an offbeat look at the effects of Prozac, and "Underachiever" is one of the many of Jill's great character songs.

But perhaps one of the best things her is "Soldiers Of Christ," which is just as biting now as it was in 1997:

"In the days of Cain and Abel
In the days of crusades
In the days of inquisitions
They made the damned behave
Before emancipation
Before Roe Vs. Wade
Before they taught little children
That they evolved from apes

The way it used to be
The way it ought to be
The way it's going to be again
And when we're in heaven you'll be sorry then."

In my humble opinion, the best thing on an otherwise lackluster album by a singer who has proven she's capable of greatness. If your new to Jill, start with "Jill Sobule" and "Underdog Victorious." If they enthrall you as they did me, come back for a return trip to "Happy Town."