Judee Sill - Judee Sill

Judee Sill grew up in LA’s Studio City as the daughter of a man who imports exotic animals for the neighbouring studios. Truly an environment with many imaginative stories around - some of which may have inspired her to take up a ‘career’ of armed robberies targeting gas stations and liquor stores as a late teenager. Thanks to the reform school she was sent to after, she learned to play the church organ well and decided to try her luck in the music industry. David Geffen - no stranger to the movie business as he founded DreamWorks later in life - recognised her talent and signed her into his newly founded Asylum label, which went on to release music by Joni Mitchell, The Eagles, Jackson Browne, Bon Dylan and Warren Zevon.

Her first, self-titled album - this week’s Listenings pick - is a wonderful record that sounds so warm and comfortable that it’s hard to imagine it is written by someone who committed armed robberies in her late teens. Exquisite songwriting, beautiful orchestration, some production work by Graham Nash - think Carole King’s “Tapestry”, just a slight bit more introverted.

~ Camiel

Listen to the album on Spotify or elsewhere