JILL Sobule's publicists no longer need to cite in casual conversation that her great, great grandfather (on her mother's side) was the tsar's tailor. Now, with her eclectic self-titled debut, they can trumpet her songwriting and musical talents. It's an impressive array of tunes.
Sounding at times like a mixture of Suzanne Vega and Cyndi Lauper, Jill Sobule, a country-style guitarist with a twang from Colorado, bursts forward with a mature combination of folk, rock and ballads.
It's not only this diversity that stimulates, but also her wrenching lyrics and strong, passionate melodies.
Various moods are also explored on the 12 tracks and, despite the occasional flippant failure, it's overall a solid performance. What's more, it sounds real and raw.
'There's still angst and manic depression in the songs,' she says revealingly, giving a deeper meaning to the sometimes ethereal quality of some of the tracks.
'But at least they have a sense of humour and hope.' Much of the music on the album was recorded live in a studio in Nashville perched in between a trucking company and a train yard - the perfect atmosphere for her straight-up approach to singing.
With the acoustic tracks, such as Trains, she played live guitar and vocals and placed a mike at her feet for the natural beat.
