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Disc 1469 is…. Thirties
Artist: Jill Andrews
Year of Release: 2020
What’s up with the Cover? Jill Andrews dances with a shadow. Based on the outfit, I’m going to say this dance takes place at a summer wedding. Or maybe she’s dancing with the memory of a guy she met at a wedding but that didn’t work out in the long run – and all that’s left are shadows. That latter theory makes sense given some of the songs.
How I Came To Know It: I can’t remember. I may have read about her in American Songwriter magazine (which I buy infrequently), but I can’t remember now. Anyway, whatever initially led me there, I checked out the record and liked what I heard, so here we are.
How It Stacks Up: This is my only Jill Andrews album, so it can’t really stack up. I’m on the hunt for two others but they are proving devilishly hard to find.
Ratings: 4 stars
Jill Andrews’ music lives in that triangle of creative real estate bounded by country, folk and pop. On “Thirties” you’ll get radio-friendly ditties, country anthems and acoustic guitar mood pieces.
“Sorry Now” starts the album off with light and precisely plucked guitar notes. It is a heart-breaking number about that moment just after love is gone, when the realization sets in that it’s too late for apologies. It features Andrews’ voice at her best, starting with a dusty whisper that climbs up quickly into something sweet and full. She sounds like a cross between Sarah Jarosz and Lera Lynn. This is a compliment, although I expect many of you will wish I’d used more famous examples. Just go check all three of them out on Youtube. Not to prove me right or wrong, but so you can enjoy some good music. Don’t worry, I’ll wait.
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Back, are we? Good stuff, let’s get back to “Thirties.” This record has a melancholic sway to it that draws you in, makes you feel a little vulnerable, and then gives you a reassuring hug, all delivered in tight little three to four minute compositions. Many of the tunes suggest an inevitability to heartbreak and loss, but tunes like “The Party” also make it clear our protagonist is railing against the fading of the light and songs that show that while she may not be fully ready to rejoin the world, she’s at least ready to try.
The production is slick to the point of sometimes being a bit too slick in places. However, the choices Andrews makes fit the songs well. If I wanted a bit less pop and a bit more folk, that’s on me, not the quality of the tunes. Don’t expect a lot of surprises, but she can make a new song sound familiar very quickly, which is a core quality of a good pop song.
This natural talent for hooks and melodies, plus some simple but effective back beats can quickly lead you to downright guilty pleasures on her most pop-heavy tunes. “Gimme the Beat Back” and “Back Together” are both toe tappers and maybe even finger snappers, for those feeling particularly jaunty.
“Back Together” has an anthemic chorus that makes it perfect for rushing the dance floor and fist pumps with friends on a “finally kicked his ass out” ladies’ night celebration. This song doesn’t break any new ground but damn it, it is fun to sing along.
Fun fact: Jill Andrews wrote and sang “Tell That Devil, which is the awesome theme song for the TV show, “Wynonna Earp.” I faithfully watched Wynonna Earp for three years, before skipping the fourth and final season. I’m usually more of a completionist but hey, as evidenced by many songs on “Thirties,” break ups sometimes happen. Sorry, Wynonna.
Less fun fact: "Tell That Devil" is released as a single only, so not on this record.
Not at all fun fact, “Thirties” is another nail in the coffin that is compact disc collecting. The CD packaging for this album is just a single cardboard sleeve so slim as to have no spine. That means after you file it in the stacks, you can’t see what it is. I have a few of these, and all of them are too big to slide into a plastic jewel case without destroying them. I realize this is better than not releasing it on CD at all but c’mon, artists – throw a Gen Xer a bone. You know we’re the ones who are going to buy this stuff from your merch table once concerts start up again.
Despite my love for this record, I suspect “Thirties” may be too smooth for folkies and too folksy for those who prefer pop. However, if you are OK with well-constructed songs that land somewhere in the middle, then you might just like what she has to offer.
Best tracks: Sorry Now, Forces, The Party, Call It Even, Back Together
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