View Larger
Rate it!
Avg: 4.0 (76 ratings)
- Date Released: September 7, 2004
- Genre: Rock/Pop
- Style: Singer-Songwriter
- Label: Artemis Records
-
We Say...
Best known for her 1995 hit "I Kissed A Girl," Jill Sobule proves herself on her fifth — and maybe finest — album a far more substantial songwriter than her one-hit-wonder status suggests. Much like her fellow New Yorkers Fountains of Wayne, Sobule possesses uncommon wit, plentiful hooks and the ability to pick up and twist pop idioms at will. On "Cinnamon Park," she borrows that sunny piano riff from Chicago's "Saturday in the Park" for a bouncy ditty about dropping magic mushrooms in a waterbed-equipped '70s van. She's naturally nostalgic for those carefree days of yore, but doesn't forget to mention that her friend is "now in counseling and she's using again." For "The Last Line," Sobule croons a fragile lullaby of lovers who share cocaine-fueled plans of kids and real estate, as if relaying a fairy tale gone wrong. Not once during Underdog Victorious does she make the common folkie mistake of thinking smart lyrics preclude a memorable tune and well-conceived arrangement. When she covets a successful and far more practical friend's flat-screen TV during "Freshman," a spartan keyboard tinkle gives way to a broad sweep of instrumentation laced with the sounds of suburban lawn sprinklers and twittering birds, demonstrating a musical imagination that's as vivid as her plain-spoken poetry.
-
They Say...
Singer/songwriter Jill Sobule's quirky tales of love, loss, and human frivolity would seem precious and cloying in the hands of a lesser interpreter. Underdog Victorious, her first release of all-new material since 2000's Pink Pearl -- she put out a retrospective the following year -- features all of the sarcasm, wit, keen observation, and big-sister charm that fans have come to expect from the tenacious New Yorker. Sobule inhabits each of her characters with an equal amount of empathy and motherly whimsy, whether it be Third World prostitutes ("Tel Aviv"), "Strawberry Gloss"-wearing teen princesses, or closeted boys wilting beneath the Bible-clenched fists of intolerant fathers ("Under the Disco Ball") -- the latter, with its refrain of "they have a scheme/they have a plan/to take the children of our land/turn them into stylists and women who play golf," is like 1995's "I Kissed a Girl"'s younger sibling. Sobule is a true pop aficionado, and her melodies have never suffered from the run-of-the-mill, singer/songwriter trappings of the genre, so when she builds an entire song off of the piano riff from Chicago's "Saturday in the Park" -- the ludicrously catchy first single, "Cinnamon Park" -- it never feels calculated. The title track is the real gem here; with its Mott the Hoople-like chorus and Mick Ronson-era Bowie guitar lick, it captures all of the sunshine, self-deprecation, and joy of simply being allowed to be a musician with a big burning heart. Sobule's voice lacks the sometimes icy pretension of oft-compared, hip contemporaries like Aimee Mann. In fact, a better comparison would be the perpetually underrated Cyndi Lauper, another mischievous pixie whose "New Yahk" accent and spirited irreverence often overshadowed her more somber and challenging offerings. It's this homegrown accessibility that provides much of the aptly titled Underdog Victorious' engaging warmth, and besides, it's hard not to root for an artist who closes her record with a surprisingly heartfelt and genuine ode to misery without sounding the least bit whiny.
“ The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.”
Rolling Stone
eMusic Tip
Paid downloads are counted towards an album discount but free downloads are not.
COMPLETE FOR FREE!
You can download the rest of the tracks from this album for free! Just click the Complete Album button.
We’re sorry this album can only be downloaded using paid subscription download credits.
We recommend you Save it for Later by clicking the Save for Later button shown just above this message. For a list of related albums you can download right now, check out these recommendations.
We'll give you 14 additional free credits to download this album and start your paid subscription.
Get 14 bonus credits on us if you download this album. Sweet!
| 01. |  |
Freshman |
2:21 |
|
| 02. | |
Jetpack |
3:03 |
|
| 03. | |
Cinnamon Park |
3:23 |
|
| 04. | |
Tender Love |
2:46 |
|
| 05. | |
Underdog Victorious |
3:31 |
|
| 06. | |
Under The Disco Ball |
1:31 |
|
| 07. | |
The Last Line |
3:56 |
|
| 08. | |
Tel Aviv |
3:32 |
|
| 09. | |
Joey |
3:55 |
|
| 10. | |
Nothing Natural |
2:28 |
|
| 11. | |
Angel 13 |
2:59 |
|
| 12. | |
Strawberry Gloss |
3:45 |
|
| 13. | |
Thank Misery |
2:16 |
|
| 14. | |
I Saw A Cop |
2:31 |
|
14 Total Tracks, 41:57 Total Length
Loading...
Playlists If you like Jill Sobule, check out these member playlists
Explore music recommended by Jill Sobule fans
Credits
- Chris Woods - Engineer // Jill Sobule - Organ // Jill Sobule - Guitar // Jill Sobule - Drums // Jill Sobule - Sound Effects // Jill Sobule - Moog Synthesizer // Jill Sobule - Omnichord // Jill Sobule - Sounds // Jill Sobule - Casio // Patrick Buchanon - Guitar // Jim DeMain - Mastering // Dennis Diken - Drums // Jim Hoke - Clarinet // Jim Hoke - Flute // Roger Moutenot - Producer // Al Perkins - Pedal Steel // Michael Rhodes - Bass // Neal Rosengarden - Trumpet // Neal Rosengarden - Guitar (Classical) // Chris Carmichael - Violin // Chris Carmichael - Viola // Ross Rice - Piano // David Henry - Cello // Will Kimbrough - Slide Guitar // Griffin Norman - Photography // Griffin Norman - Cover Photo // Robin Eaton - Bass // Robin Eaton - Harmonica // Robin Eaton - Vocals (Background) // Robin Eaton - Producer // Mickey Grimm - Percussion // Mickey Grimm - Drums // Susan McEowen - Art Direction // Brad Jones - Organ // Brad Jones - Bass // Brad Jones - Piano // Brad Jones - Guitar (Rhythm) // Brad Jones - Piano (Electric) // Brad Jones - Producer // Rob Burger - Piano // Rob Burger - Casio // Bill DeMain - Piano (Electric) // Bill DeMain - Vocals (Background) // Marykate O'Neil - Vocals (Background) // Julian Hibbard - Photography // Kevin Pusey - Make-Up // Kevin Pusey - Hair Stylist // Will Shortz - Design // John Zabava - Stylist
Choose from over 7 million
music downloadseMusic features legendary and emerging artists in every genre: classic rock to classical,indie to international, soundtracks to spiritual, jazz to country and many more.
MP3 downloads work on any digital media player
With eMusic, you OWN your music without any restrictions. Burn music to a CD, play it on your computer, mobile phone or any digital media player - including iPod®, Zune® and Walkman®.
Songs available for 50¢ or less
eMusic subscriptions start at just $11.99 a month for 24 downloads - that's just 50¢ per song! And it gets better from there - our plans go as low as 42¢ per song!
Music Discovery
eMusic is about discovery. We make finding new music fun again with music recommendations from our award-winning team of music experts, member playlists and new music features.
Cancel anytime
With all the great music and site features we're pretty sure you will love eMusic. If not, no problem. You can cancel at any time and keep the music you have downloaded.
© 1992 - 2009 All Media Guide, LLC