Topical singer-songwriters don't get good grades. Phil Ochs had a fantastic knack for melody and his words were always well-crafted, but the topicality of his tunes always announced themselves before he even got to the chorus. This led him to write weirder and weirder songs and give Van Dyke Parks a production job, so there's always an upside somewhere. But there is something undeniably painful about a songwriter who always needs a TOPIC to get started.
Like many modern-day folksingers, Jill Sobule likes to warp a topic. She likes weird, neurotic people who make her feel better about herself, and she likes to daydream about where the day takes them. "Lucy At The Gym" follows an obsessive fitness nut who one day to the author's chagrin doesn't show for her workout. "Somewhere In New Mexico" casts an enviable eye to those whose questions are answered by a God that Sobule views as an absentee landlord. She's a quick wit with a strong sense of humor who may one day sneak a curve ball past us.
All recordings courtesy of Beyond. ΓÇ£Rainy Day ParadeΓÇ¥ and ΓÇ£HeroesΓÇ¥ written by Jill Sobule, Robin Eaton; courtesy of WB Music Corp./Feel My Pain Music (ASCAP)/Left Right Left Publishing, administered by Bug Music (BMI). ΓÇ£Guy Who DoesnΓÇÖt Get ItΓÇ¥ written by Jill Sobule/Phil Galdston; courtesy of WB Music Corp./Feel My Pain Music/Kazzoom Music, Inc. (ASCAP).
