Jill Tracy - Diabolical Streak
|
List Price: Our Price: $14.46 You Save: $3.52 (20%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $12.00 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for Diabolical Streak
Free Music Review: The world's finest Halloween cabaret music
Hit: 5 Stars
The title of this review sounds a bit ridiculous, since there isn't a lot of Halloween cabaret music out there. But, even if there were more, Jill Tracy and her Malcontent Orchestra would be the best. They come from San Francisco. That probably explains a lot because not too many other cities could support such an act.
At root, this music involves Tracy singing at a piano with strings backup (a moody viola and violoncello for the most part) and light drums. Her voice is front and center, in cabaret style. She's a wonderfully interpretive singer, as that style requires.
The lyrics are dark. "Evil Night Together" describes a couple at various crime scenes, "The Fine Art of Poisoning" is pretty self-descriptive, "You Leave Me Cold" and "Diabolical Streak" - - well, use your imagination. A healthy dose of irony and humor makes the lyrics not depressing but sly.
It would be easy for this to be merely a novelty act but for the remarkable musicianship of both Tracy and her Malcontents. I've tried to describe it but I haven't done them justice. They are like a fine glass of absinthe. Listen for yourself.
Free Music Review: dark, elegant beauty
Hit: 5 Stars
"Diabolical Streak" is an eerie, exquisite journey, a refreshing departure from today's mostly sampled and electronic regurgitations, Jill Tracy and her Malcontent Orchestra masterfully create a cinematic score of piano, violins, bassoons, cellos and percussion. It takes you on a journey back in time, of glamour, sophistication, ornate and gloomy surroundings. I wholeheartedly disagree with the reviewer comparing Jill Tracy with Diamanda Galas. The similarity lies in the fact that they are both distinct visionaries who sit at the helm of a piano. Their music is very different. Diamanda sings with a bellow-to-screech four octave range, as Jill Tracy sings with a breathy intimacy, almost as if she were whispering her poetic tales for your ears alone. Jill Tracy crafts a playfully sinister vibe in her songwriting. She lures and entices you into her tales ala Agatha Christie or Edward Gorey. It's film-noir goosebumps amidst a decaying amusement park. Diamanda is much more insular and bombastic. You will wake up with a Jill Tracy tune in your head...and you'll be seduced by its dark charm.Free Music Review: diabolically divine
Hit: 5 Stars
As a long time fan of Jill Tracy's live solo shows in San Francisco and 1995 debut CD "quintessentially unreal," I was excited to hear that she had indeed put a new album out...this time with an orchestral back-up group, the Malcontent Orchestra. Wow...it's bewitchingly intoxicating...her spooky ragtime and classically tinged piano now has the backdrop of bassoon, cellos,violins,drums,timpani and various strange instruments creating a sound that truly is like nothing else out there. "Diabolical Streak" immerses you into a cinematic magic carpet ride...a hypnotizing soundtrack of Tracy's elegantly dark visions....it creates the mood of an old film score, suspenseful and dramatic with Tracy's distinctive sultry voice telling the macabre narratives....including songs like "the Fine Art of Poisoning," "Doomsday Serenade,"and "Just the Other Side of Pain." Her voice captivates you with its alluring, yet eerie quality...this one won't come out of the CD player for a long time....a must buy.Free Music Review: perfect.
Hit: 5 Stars
I first heard Jill Tracy on a college station, as I was driving late at night in the rain. I had no idea who she was, and I sat there listening intently, completely blown away. I knew I had to hear more, soon. I bought "Diabolical Streak" shortly after that night, and once again I was completely blown away. There are only so many albums that come hurtling at you like a freight train and completely knock the breath out of you. For me, this was one of those albums. Think Nick Cave's "Murder Ballads" backed with an orchestra, fronted with an amazing female voice. This album is absolutely brilliant, and I really am not very easily impressed. It's seductive, it's creepy, and at the end you'll wish you had someone to lure into your own trap, because she makes it sound so perfect..
Free Music Review: dark, clever, and lovely
Hit: 5 Stars
This album has been a constant in my life for about four years now...it certainly ranks highly on my "favorites" list. Jill Tracy is a wonderful songstress of a dark and macabre stripe who writes clever songs rife with vicious little tales of murder, poison, suicide, and morbid relationships. Her lyrics feature deft turns of phrase and *gasp* polysyllabic words indicating a grasp of the English language that is much stronger than your average musician. The presence of an X-chromosome and a piano would lead to easy comparisons to Tori Amos, and while I also enjoy Tori's music tremendously, Jill Tracy would appeal to more of a niche audience than would Tori. I'd recommend "Diabolical Streak" highly to those with a literary bent and a dark turn of mind.