Reviews

every street inside of you ~ Mexico City

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One of the best things about hearing a musician play live only once a year or so is that it makes the artistic evolution so much clearer. One such evolving player is Seattle singer-songwriter Jill Cohn, who returns to Eske’s Brew Pub Friday with her guitar, keyboard, and a new batch of outstanding songs. Cohn is an audience favorite with her lilting voice and intimate performance style. She’s been steadily making music for more than a decade, and is about to release her eighth album, “Every Street Inside of You.” She wrote the songs in Mexico City, where she lived for the last two years. She escaped south after a year-long bout of writer’s block, and it’s clear the sabbatical did her good. Her musical evolution seems to be pushing her outside her comfort zone, and she has updated her sound from more standard folkie fare to something a bit more modern. Tracks like “Israel,” for example, are pleasingly melodic, with lush production and touches of electronica that should propel them to AAA radio play lists everywhere. The new songs are, as always, polished and literate, touching on topics like relationships, both romantic and familial, the challenges and excitement of living in a different country, and Cohn’s love for animals. Like all of her releases, this is a very personal record. Cohn lived in the heart of Mexico City and arrived there with no knowledge of the language. Because of her inability to speak with the locals she was forced to reexamine how people communicate, which caused her to reconsider her lyrical approach. She has said her songs are now more universally relatable because of it. It was a profound experience for Cohn, and she misses Mexico City terribly. “It’s so amazing how a place can get under your skin and just stay there like a really good song, an amazing lover, or a true spiritual teacher ... just never leaves, is kind of with you always!” Cohn herself writes good songs that get under your skin and stay. The Taos News By Deonne Kahler

Singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist Jill Cohn has traded rainy Seattle for sunny Mexico. She’s still touring the United States, however, and will be bringing her keyboard with her tonight to the Rockslide Brewery. Cohn is soon to release her eighth CD — “Mexico City” — of which she’ll have advance copies Friday at the Rockslide. The CD was produced in Los Angeles with Ethan Allen and Grammy-award winning engineer Jim Watts. Although Cohn’s been compared to Joni Mitchell and Sarah McLachlan, the band she’s listening to most these days is Coldplay. She also cited Julieta Vengas, who plays the guitar, accordion and — like Cohn — piano. “She’s probably my favorite up-and-coming female artist,” Cohn said. Cohn has lived in Mexico City off and on, while coming back to the United States to tour. “I’ve always had a curiosity about the city and wanted a change of pace, so I decided to go live abroad,” Cohn said. “I love it there. I feel really at home, really inspired. I found a place with a piano I can sublet. The neighbors don’t mind if I play piano morning, noon and night.” Not speaking the language has taught Cohn to slow down and concentrate more on what and how she says things. “It’s been a really awesome experience. I think its reflected in my new CD,” Cohn said. “I really consciously tried to convey my lyrics and ideas in a more simple kind of way.” “Mexico City” — the title cut — is “kind of a gratitude song,” Cohn said. She went to Mexico not knowing anyone, and found the Mexican people and culture, warm and welcoming. She’s performed a gig there and has a couple lined up for when she returns. “They seem to love all kinds of music. Its eclectic tastes is part of what makes that city great. It’s a culture of art and artists,” Cohn said. Cohn has opened for the Girls Room tour, was a top-five finalist in the Lilith Fair Talent Search, and has opened concerts for several national artists such as Jewel, Stacey Earle, Loudon Wainwright III and Dave Matthews.

---Grand Junction Free Press

window to the wise

" ... one of Seattle's best singer-songwriters" - Seattle Times

"Jill Cohn is the perfect act to book for a peace rally or large coffeehouse. Her thought-provoking material and highly emotional delivery are what make her a strong solo artist. She is personable both onstage and off, which creates the feeling of being right in her living room. With the way of the world today, her throw-back Sixties style might just make a comeback." - Music Connection 01/2003

"Her revelatory vocals and lyrics display a mature emotional expressiveness, and her beautiful piano playing contrast the trip-hop grooves on "Kerosene" and "Twenty More Days", creating a well-rounded album that won't leave your CD player soon." - Keyboard Magazine 12/2002

"Though it's unfair to spin every sensitive female singer-songwriter around the Sarah McLachlan/Tori Amos axis, this Seattle-based performer definitely evokes those influences without succumbing to them. Comforting music for discomforting times." - Jam Magazine 02/2002

"...Just released, her incredible Window to the Wise. All of the 10 melodic and memorable tracks capture her expressive and strong vocals and feature cool guitar strumming as well as some nice trumpet playing, pedal steel work and even a wicked banging on a beer bottle! Here's our word to the wise: Don't let this one pass you by." - Album Network 02/22/2002

the absence of Moving

"Extraordinary, pleasantly powerful voice" - New Times (Phoenix, AZ)

from: Performing Songwriter
January 2002

Jill Cohn
the absence of Moving
Produced by Jill Cohn

There’s a windblown spirituality as well as a full-bodied, lovely worldliness to Jill Cohn’s writing. The songs on The Absence of Moving pour out of the speakers like rainwater—clear, life-giving and cool. Cohn’s voice has the heart-stirring lilt of The Innocence Mission’s Karen Peris and the palpable melancholy of Sarah McLachlan, and her compositions share the calming sweetness of Holly Cole’s jazz ballads.

The throaty upright bass of Dennis Staskowski, Cohn’s piano and Greg Fulton’s guitars form the basic texture on the songs and work to create an intimate, almost secretive effect. The light touch of Eric Chappelle’s violin and Rob Witmer’s accordion accent songs like the simple, moving “Kayenta” with taste and grace.

Cohn’s voice, though, is the highlight of The Absence of Moving. It is expressive and strong and Cohn uses it well in her hovering, otherworldly melodies. This is her fourth self-released record, and her experience shows. Jill Cohn is an artist to keep your eye on as she’ll doubtlessly be around for a long time.

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from: GoGirlsMusic.com

"the absence of Moving"
reviewed by Megan McGehee

The first track of 'the absence of Moving' from Jill Cohn had me nearly pigeonholing her instead as a lovely, lilting Sarah McLaughlin-inspired vocalist. However, the second track confused this characterization as it departed greatly from the first track's mood, with Cohn singing lustily and almost darkly about a "Louisiana Lover." The third track, "happy," is vaguely reminiscent of Joni Mitchell in its unusual chord constructions and over-the-top treble vocal lines. By the fourth track, an acoustic-guitar backed vocal-dexterity showcase, I abandoned any attempt at labeling this multi-faceted artist and just sat back and enjoyed the album.

Far from being "limited" by a basis in the piano, this folk/pop singer-songwriter displays a determination to achieve the perfect instrumentation in her beautifully arranged and self-produced album. Each song perfectly incorporates some atypical and instantly memorable sounds of instruments like accordion and concertina with percussion, bass, and Cohn's piano or acoustic guitar. In fact, the piano shines through as the dominant instrument on only a trio of songs in this collection of well-written and emotionally performed explorations of human nature.

Jill Cohn writes of the search for love, the purpose of life, finding strength in oneself, the nature of evil, and the essence of success and happiness all in one beautifully mellow breath. She has a mature command of her art and a magical way of presenting it in performance. Luckily, this independent artist tours constantly around the southwest, promoting her music and sharing her magic with others. If you aren't lucky enough to live in that area, try to make the time to check out her CD and meet a truly thoughtful artist.

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from Weekly Alibi
Albuquerque, NM

Show Up
By Michael Henningsen
Jan 5, 2001

What strikes you first about Jill Cohn is her voice. It's rich, with a certain weightlessness that allows it to soar. The very next thing is her consummate songwriting skill. Cohn's lyrics are as strong as her alternately delicate and earthmoving melodies, and the wealth of subject matter she employs is from her own bastion of personal experience.

With four releases under her belt and countless live appearances, Cohn defines the singer-songwriter. Her most recent disc, The Absence of Moving (Box o' Beanies), is a self-produced affair that showcases Cohn fronting her Seattle-based band and offers something of a departure from her previous, largely solo work. She's thoroughly effective accompanying herself on piano--her chops in that regard are formidable--but the ensemble setting of the new album adds an magnified urgency to her music.

Cohn has been compared to nearly all of the women on the singer-songwriter circuit, but there isn't a single comparison that can be made to describe the overwhelming relevance of her work. Of course, if you happen to be a fan of Tori Amos, Paula Cole, et. al., then you're likely to find yourself swept away the moment Cohn lays her hands on the 88s. In fact, you're so likely to get caught up in the moment, you'll feel as though you're on the inside looking out.

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from Show Preview in The Stranger
Seattle, WA

By Genevieve Williams
Dec 12, 2000

Jill Cohn's nearly constant tour swings through Seattle once again, bringing Cohn's own special blend of folk-infused pop. Pick a pop songbird--especially one who plays piano--and Cohn's probably been compared to her, but she has a style all her own that defies comparison. She's more sensual than most of her ilk, and she has an impressive voice that's capable of whispering or belting with equal impact.

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from Campus Circle Magazine
Los Angeles, CA

By Alex Green
St. Mary¹s College

On her fourth full-length effort, Seattle's Jill Cohn continues to traverse the world of love and longing with a burning grace. The follow-up to the moving live set The Laughing Universe, which was recorded at a benefit for First Place, a school for homeless children, The Absence of Moving may conjure the the gentle phrasing of Edie Brickell, and the hushed poetic whisper of Joni Mitchell, but Cohn's ability to infuse a song with a resonant and dusky glow is a skill uniquely her own. From the skidding shuffle of "Shore," a number that features Cohn at her most commanding, to the lilting "Instead of the Innocent," The Absence of Moving is often a dark look at what gets left to burn when the heart changes its mind.

Capable of effortlessly reaching astonishing vocal heights, or opting instead for a hushed murmur to convey an emotion, Cohn's strength as a singer is that you never know where's she's going next. For example on the moving "Kayenta," she deftly switches from a soft, finessed delivery to a gorgeous yodeling falsetto that is impossible to resist. "Kayenta," is a winning number replete with a winning chorus, "Happy," is a delicate piano ballad, and "Louisiana Lover," has a soulful groove that gives the song an understated sexiness. Produced by Cohn, The Absence of Moving is a quiet triumph, a musical diamond in the rough that is has an undeniable tenderness. Not one to skimp on heart or emotion, Cohn's compositions are brave in that they are bold open letters to the lost or the heartbroken. Cohn¹s songs are like Paula Cole or Tori Amos in that they champion honesty and offer the truth even though it's the truth that may be the thing that hurts the most. The Absence of Moving is not a mournful collection of smoky ballads, but it is a rousing batch of sensuous songs that aren't afraid to burn.

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from The Weekly Wire
website

Deliciously Tense
By Michael Henningsen

JUNE 1, 1999: There's something about the way Jill Cohn sings that makes whatever her subject matter is seem sacred. There's virtually nothing that escapes her songwriter's pen. From love and loss to the persistence of hope, Cohn brings a crystalline clarity to everything that moves her. Her voice is as vast as the Great Northwest, which she calls home. The Seattle-based singer-songwriter has spent much of the past four years touring independently on the strength of three critically acclaimed solo albums. Her fourth, the ironically titled The Absence of Moving (Box o' Beanies), is her strongest yet.

Frequently compared to Tori Amos, Paula Cole and various Lilith-ites, Cohn is far too entrenched in her own identity to bow to such parallels. She is a fine pianist, and her voice is delightfully lofty, but Cohn's songs are uniquely her own. While her earlier work was largely piano-based (hence the Amos connection), her latest and its predecessor, Stories from the Blue Bus (Box o' Beanies), are both marked by the more frequent inclusion of thoughtful guitar, drums and acoustic bass. By broadening her palette gradually with more richly arranged instrumentation, Cohn has successfully allowed her music to evolve naturally, by turns allowing her voice room to move.

And move it does, gracefully transitioning between a gentle whisper and a commanding soprano. Cohn's songs are less like snapshots of her psyche than they are Super 8 home movies documenting her various passions and experiences. Lyrically, too, she shines. Her words shimmer magically, levitating ever so slightly above her well-constructed melodies, just enough to create the kind of deliciously nervous tension that keeps lovers enthralled. With simple grace and overwhelming charm, Jill Cohn adds a fresh twist to singer-songwriter folk-rock that has rarely been seen this side of Joni Mitchell. She's not someone you can afford to pass up.

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from FAC193 Music
website

Jill Cohn "the absence of Moving"
self-released, 2000

Pop music has taken a lot of heat lately for being weightless and lacking substance. Mind you, look at the prime suspects: assembly-line boy bands and divas-in-training who cater to the pre-teen set rule the radio waves. It is becoming rare to hear anyone on the radio who speaks with a universal voice through universal songs. Enter Jill Cohn--whose latest release, “the absence of Moving” is a collection of music that illuminates the joy and fragility of life.

Her voice is amorphous and takes on the personality of each song, whatever that song may require. To provide a couple of examples: she communicates the sultry loneliness of “Louisiana lover” with incredible immediacy and the liberation and strength of “Kayenta” with a pride not seen since Amy Ray’s earlier vocals for the Indigo Girls.

The arrangements are tasteful and only go as far as the song itself is willing to go, the additional musicians providing abundant depth and color to perfectly frame the picture Jill paints with her words.

Jill Cohn deserves the type of exposure that makes an artist a star. Her songs deserve to be hits on the radio. Like all good pop music, these songs don’t demand much of the listener and compliment the days of our lives in their crystal clarity. Her voice and music feel timeless, universal, and perfect.

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Stories from the Bluebus

"Smart piano based Folk-Rock comparable to the work of Tori Amos and Paula Cole" - Willamette Week (Portland, OR)

"Lilith's other daughter" - Glenwood Post (Colorado)

Willamette Week
May 1998 - Portland, OR

"Seattle singer-songwriter Jill Cohn's just-released third CD-"Stories from the Bluebus", is a collection of smart piano-based folk-rok comparable to the work of Tori Amos and Paula Cole. Cohn's almost in the league of these pop superstars, with a rich, expressive voice and a knack for melody. Since the rise of the Lilith Fair, there's a glut of strong female singer-songwriters, but Cohn could easily make it to the upper echelon if her latest album is any indication."

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City Weekly
May 1998 - Salt Lake City

"Listening to the music of Jill Cohn, you're almost tempted to believe that the author of all those Venus and Mars books has some valid points. Namely, it's the subjects she sings about. No furtive, man-like beating about the bush for Cohn. The woman gets right to the heart of the matter every time. Her just released new collection of songs is called "Stories fromt he BlueBus". Those of open emotions will rejoice. The rest of us will drop jaws at the sound of her luminescent voice, a force that sounds like a siren calling out from the unknown center of some pure, azure-colored ocean."

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Citylife
Las Vegas

"Cohn is a level-headed woman with her heart stitched on her dress, somehow innocent and wise at the same time. She paints pictures about life and love rather than spurting out the lyrics-the lackadaisical flow of solitude and solace in "My Sister's Garage," the bouncing "How's Texas". Cohn might have actually captured all the big dreams and lost hope that permeates Cinema City in the Sarah McLachlan-sounding, "Hollywood" Lilith has a new friend."

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The Laughing Universe

"Cohn's lilting acoustic pop excursions are deeply personal and often heartstring tugging" - Buzz Weekly (Los Angeles, CA)

Post Office Saloon
Wednesday, Jan. 22nd, 1997
by Marvin Allen

(Jill Cohn) treated the Post Office Saloon to some very high caliber performing songwriter action. The flyer at the Post Office compared her to Tori Amos and Joni Mitchell. Not just anyone deserves that comparison, but Jill does. A lot more than a mere copy of anyone, she and her music stand on their own merit. She's blessed with a beautiful crystal clear voice and a wonderful piano style. Her songwriting and delivery do what all good art should. It takes you away. Quite a performer and a genuinely nice person, she gets two thumbs up from me. I suspect we'll be hearing more about Jill Cohn, so stay tuned.

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Tucson Lifestyle
1997

Seattle-based singer/songwriter Jill Cohn follows up last year's 13September6 with The Laughing Universe, a live album. It showcases her expressive voice and gift for poetic imagery. Cohn, who writes from the heart about love, loss and self-discovery, draws intricate word pictures that are intimate, yet leave room for interpretation. Standouts include the ironically titled "True Love" whose lyrics lament "Well I guess I never should've introduced you two/you can't always tell where fate hides," and "Anymore", which explores the isolation and alienation of being suddenly alone in a city. Major labels are scouting Cohn and her independent releases may soon become collector items.

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13September6

"Haunting songs like "Thought I Heard The Rain" and "Girl Named Kate" resound long after the CD stops spinning."" - Song Talk Magazine (Los Angeles, CA)

Song Talk Magazine
Los Angeles

"When Tori Amos emerged, writers couldn't avoid comparisons to Kate Bush, who years earlier was often compared to Joni Mitchell. Similar comparisons will no doubt ensue when writers struggle to define the unique songs and style of Jill Cohn, who sounds somewhat like all of the forementioned, but mostly like herself. She writes inventive songs like "the Trees Are Melting" which show off her big vocal and lyrical range. The album, which starts with a beautiful ballad, "Song for Terry", boasts production that is as inventive as the songs, and fine playing by various musicians and Jill herself on acoustic and electric piano. Like Tori Amos, Cohn is at her best when working her magic with the chromatic impressionistic melodies set against her complex but beautiful piano work. Haunting songs like "Thought I Heard The Rain" and "Girl Named Kate" resound long after the CD stops spinning."

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Charles R. Cross
of Rolling Stone & The Rocket (Seattle)

"Cohn's strengths are her extensive use of the piano (imagine Tori Amos of early Joni Mitchell) and how she's not afraid to let her powerful voice carry the melody".

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