Editorial Reviews

In spite of her deeply troubled personal life, the late singer/songwriter Judee Sill fashioned some of the most imaginative, ambitious, and singularly moving recordings to come out of the Laurel Canyon scene of the 1970s. Her work enjoyed a dedicated, if relatively small, following (one that included the likes of XTC's Andy Partridge) up until the early 2000s, when her work was reissued on compact disc. Since then, interest in Sill's life and work has grown, and it seems like it was only a matter of time before a tribute album rolled around. Crayon Angel: A Tribute to the Music of Judee Sill, released on American Dust in 2009, is veritably star-studded, at least in indie rock terms, featuring veterans like Ron Sexsmith, Beth Orton, and the Trembling Blue Stars in addition to relative newcomers Frida Hyvönen, Final Fantasy, and Princeton. All of Sill's signature tracks are here (i.e., "Lady-O," "Jesus Was a Cross Maker"), and in keeping with Sill's odd-angled, esoteric, multi-instrumental body of work, most of the material is nice and quirky. The most successful tracks showcase each artist's particular voice while still honoring Sill's original work. Standout tracks include Final Fantasy's "The Donor," which offers a tender, cerebral interpretation of the original, and Meg Baird's "When the Bridegroom Comes," which re-imagines Sill's upright, quirky original in stately horns and whisper-light, slightly out of tune overdubbed vocals. The only major stumble on the album is Marissa Nadler & Black Hole Infinity's sexed-up, trip-hop-influenced version of "The Kiss." Regrettable as that track is, Crayon Angel is by and large a faithful tribute to Sill's work. This is the kind of disc that makes you want to dig up Sill's original work -- and when it comes to a tribute album, there's no higher praise than that. Margaret Reges, All Music Guide

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