Southern California-based singer/ songwriter Judee Sill’s life and career followed two very different trajectories: one drug-dimmed and chaotic, the other graceful and note-perfect. Both are readily discernible on this 17-song compilation of material from both of her brief early 70s visits to London. An illuminating interview segment, along with her often candid song introductions, reveal a pensive, neurotic Sill, while her angelic vocals, finger-picking rich acoustic guitar work and gospelinflected piano playing is just simply stunning.
All the songs, some of which appear in multiple versions (including Jesus Was A Cross Maker, The Kiss, The Phoenix and the cosmic Enchanted Sky Machines) emanate from her pair of Asylum album projects. There’s a big difference, though, as here Sill is unplugged, absent of all the lush orchestrations, multiple overdubs and multi-layered strings of a studio setting. Other arresting originals include Lady-O (covered by The Turtles), the compelling epiphany The Donor, a folk-rocking Soldier Of The Heart and a plaintive slice of autobiography titled There’s A Rugged Road. They all seem to sink in deeper and resonate more captivatingly on these stripped-down, Appalachian stark incarnations. Breathtaking stuff from an unsung genius.
