Jane Siberry – “New York Trilogy”

album1Ever try to catch a rainbow? That’s what it’s like trying to put a finger on Jane Siberry’s ever-changing style. Her music, with its innovative lyrics and spoken dialogues, is without a doubt a musical category in itself. The New York Trilogy, a series of live recordings consisting of three CDs, is a treat for one’s ears and an adventure for the mind and soul. With the use of brass, strings, funk guitars, and a beautiful chorus of female voices, this trilogy is a worthwhile listen for people of all musical tastes.

Tree: Music For Films And Forests is the first of the three CDs (four, actually, if you count the second one in Child) in Siberry’s trilogy. Found on this disc are a few old favorites (Goin’ Down the River, Up The Loggin’ Road), in addition to some new material, including “It Can’t Rain All The Time”, written for the motion picture soundtrack The Crow. On this CD, as well as the others, Siberry uses her own unique style of writing lyrics to convey raw emotion, as well as her own stories and experiences.

The next disc, Lips: Music For Saying It, introduces another of the many sides of Jane Siberry’s musical repertoire, bringing guitars into the recipe to add a little spice. Here, this artist’s wilder side is exposed with tunes such as “Freedom Is Gold”- a funky, sassy piece that has a kind of seventies Motown feel. 

And just when you think it can’t get any better, track six unveils- much to the listener’s surprise and delight- an explosive rendition of the classic disco hit “I Will Survive”. This disk, which is sexy and is performed with a lot of soul (did I mention that it includes a spoken history of the word fuck?) packs a much greater punch than the preceding disc.

The last third of the New York Trilogy, entitled Child: Music For The Christmas Season, combines traditional Christmas music with original material written by Siberry. With songs like Silent Night, O Holy Night, What Child Is This?, and the Twelve Days Of Christmas, a bit of familiarity is added to this dynamic compilation.

Jane Siberry’s music, with its many different colors, is one rainbow that is definitely hard to catch. But if you are lucky enough to catch it, there’s one thing you’ll undoubtedly find at the end of it: gold.

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