Apr 02 2008
Jill Barber’s Music
I’ve been meaning to write a post about Canadian singer-songwriter Jill Barber, so here it is. I saw her in St. John’s, Newfoundland, a couple months ago. Just her and her acoustic guitar and a guy switching between mandolin and a pedal steel. A real sweet, pleasing traditional sound with a mild jazzy, lullaby voice. Initially I thought her latest album, For All Time, was too poppy for my tastes, but I was wrong. It’s more polished than her previous work, but maintains a warm, down to earth feel. It’s not just a good album, but good company, if that makes any sense. She’s definitely grown on me.
Other info: JillBarber.com — Jill Barber @ eMusic.com — Jill Barber @ MySpace — Previous Jill Barber post — and here’s a video for “Hard Line,” one of her more poppy tunes:
I like Jill Barber’s music. “For All Time” has become a favourite in our house. But her videos don’t do it for me. They’re too slick and dolled-up for my tastes. She had another video, which doesn’t seem to be available online anymore, that had a similar look and feel that clashes with my perception of her music and personality — or at least the personality of her music. Make-up hides personality. It doesn’t accentuate it. Simplicity seems more appropriate for what I hear in the music. Her videos wouldn’t attract me to her music (but I think she’s great).
She doesn’t lip-sync well in the videos, unless it’s the video itself. I like her tunes, though.
I’ve been listening to this album more often. I’m playing it now on a new stereo. It’s a beautiful album, one of my favourites from the past few years. I keep coming back to it and loving it more every time.