Human Being

reviewed by Jill Hill

Originally published on March 1, 1999

Weird sums up the liner notes on this CD. I have 20/20 vision, but I can’t read the three-point script. I am unsure if the words are lyrics, ramblings, prayers, curses, e-mail, fan letters or a combination of these things. Actually, I am quite sure they are not lyrics in the traditional sense, maybe springboards [...]

Canticles of Ecstasy

reviewed by Jill Hill

Originally published on February 1, 1999

“Hildegard von Bingen was a visionary who lived a cloistered life in the twelfth century. She lived a life of devoted faith and saw visions of God and the cosmos that were uniquely her own….”

Rock of Ages

reviewed by Jill Hill

Originally published on February 1, 1999

“[T]he choir is on key. They sing the parts, but they sound over-rehearsed and emotionally vacant. Only the organist, who plays on the grand Tabernacle organ, sounds infused with fervor….”

Tracks

reviewed by Jill Hill

Originally published on January 1, 1999

I know many rabid Boss fans. And I suppose there is no way to avoid pissing someone off when writing about Bruce Springsteen. Tracks will delight most fans, but I doubt if it will make the Boss many new ones. That is not a bad thing. In a literary analogy, the Boss is to Cormac [...]

Chef Aid: The South Park Album

reviewed by Jill Hill

Originally published on January 1, 1999

Say everybody have you seen my balls they are big and salty and brown. If you ever need a quick pick me up just stick my balls in your mouth suck on my balls. With Trey Parker on keyboards and Matt Stone on Drums, Sir Isaac Hayes as Chef is at his funky best on [...]

The Very Best Of Sting & The Police

reviewed by Jill Hill

Originally published on January 1, 1999

A better title would have been Some of the Very Best of The Police and Some of the Most Maudlin of Sting, also including a Remix that Sucks. How can you have the best of The Police without “Synchronicity” or “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da”? Not to mention “Tea in the Sahara” [...]

After Awhile

reviewed by Jill Hill

Originally published on November 1, 1998

This is not a new CD, nor is it the newest by Gilmore. It is his best, however. When I was first experimenting with country music I would watch CMT and once, maybe twice, I caught a video made for “My Mind’s Got A Mind of It’s Own” by Jimmie Dale Gilmore. The lyrics showed [...]

Taming the Tiger

reviewed by Jill Hill

Originally published on November 1, 1998

I was stunned when Joni Mitchell won a Grammy last year with Turbulent Indigo. Not stunned that the albumn had won the award – it should have – but stunned that the music industry had finally wisened up enough to recognize Joni’s talent. Where Turbulent Indigo left off, Joni Mitchell’s newest release, Taming the Tiger [...]

Water Music

reviewed by Jill Hill

Originally published on November 1, 1998

On Van Morrison’s underrated CD Days Like This, he sings a duet of “You Don’t Know Me” with his daughter, Shana. And the line “I never knew the art of making love/ til my heart yearned with love for you” stands out as a plaintive reminder that even an unrequited love affair can have a [...]

Señor Blues

reviewed by Jill Hill

Originally published on October 1, 1998

Señor Blues won a 1998 Grammy, and of course it was given out during the day so the evening awards could be saved for the likes of Mariah Carey and Celine Dion (you know the poor thing, according to USA Weekend, has irregular periods). I waited until this month to acquire Señor Blues. I can’t [...]