do you know judee sill?

Music: Judee Sill: Soul Food (1973)

My friend Eric Fuchs, a man of infinite taste and an uncanny knack for discovering music that is both different and good (his genius find of Dengue Fever comes to mind), introduced me to Judee Sill last spring. Sill has been playing in the back of my mind like a little motor for months. Her music is like a found gem that you want to keep for yourself and not share, but I decided more of you need the love.

Last night was one of those nights when you come home after the bars have closed, but are not quite ready to go to bed. I had a very short date (which went surprisingly ok) and then hooked up with some of our new peeps here. Suddenly it was time to go home . . . . so I get to this late place of cats. I didn't want to watch a movie, and I was in no condition to read. For some reason I decided to listen to records and my fingers found their way to Judee Sill. It was 3:00 a.m. You know what I'm saying? It was 3:00 a.m.

So I slept on Sill. She's still in my head.

Sill's is something of a sad story. As a young person an alcoholic step-daddy led her to a life of petty crime. Imprisoned in reform school for writing bad checks, she picked up the piano and guitar and was partial to religious music. Eventually she was discovered by Geffen, who pumped her along side Mitchell and other Cali-folk rockers in the early 70s. Her first album spawned a hit, "Jesus Was a Cross Maker" and was well received critically. Then came the heroin, David Crosby and friends (Crosby has a knack for brushing up against talent where drugs are around, no?) another great and unusual album. More herion.

She was a musicians musician, and by all accounts brilliant. She called her music "Country-cult-baroque," which makes a lot of sense because Bach is so far up in the harmonics. Her voice is not that special, but she does have this earnest cleanness, a sort of un-alloyed emotion. The feelings in her songcraft are beautiful but un-complicated. When I first heard Soul Food, I initially thought this was PTA-folk rock, sort of like Marcia Ball doing the blues. But repeated listens changed my mind; Sill's music is simply remarkable.

So check out Judee Sill. It's not great for Saturday morning. But come Sunday morning, at 2:00 a.m., you'll thank me. Here's one of my favorites: "The Donor," the closer from 1973s Soul Food.