Tuesday, 18 October 2011

Muso of the week ~ Jane Siberry ~ An absolute genius

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Chances are you have absolutely no idea who Jane Siberry is, unless you've been surrounded by music your whole life, like me :o) I think I was in my early teens when my mother introduced me to her, and when she did, I abandoned my Madonna cassettes and started listening to Jane instead. I fell IN LOVE with her album, "When I Was A Boy," and would make sure time was blocked out on the weekends, to move all the furniture to the edges of the lounge room, so I could use the floor space as a stage and pretend I was her.

Jane is the epitome of Madonna and Tori Amos in one pure skin of genius. She has the sexuality that Madonna embodied in the early 90s and the eccentric ingenuity and musicality of Tori. Her inflections were sometimes so complicated that I would be afraid I might destroy the cassette from constant rewinding and playing certain phrases over and over again. But I had to get them perfect. After all, I had an imaginary audience to impress. ;o)

If you'd like to have a listen, why not try one of my favorite tracks of hers:




Have you ever heard of Jane Siberry? What did you think of Sail Across the Water?


Listening to this again has just set off the waterworks ...



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14 comments:

  1. Cathy Olliffe-Webster18 October 2011 at 13:28

    Of COURSE I've heard of Jane Siberry! I grew up with Mimi On The Beach. Siberry was way ahead of her time back in those heady days and she rode the top of the charts with that song here in Canada. I was thrilled to see you mention her on your blog today.

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  2. Will Burke18 October 2011 at 14:03

    God, I totally know that name from somewhere, but I'm not famillier with the music. Did she do a theme for a TV show?
    I'd like to throw my name in the ring for the Blog Tour, if you're interested. I'm afraid that it wouldn't reach much of a new audience, since we're traveling in the same circles, but I'd be honored to have you, none the less. You can let me know at willburke93@gmail.com if you're interested. Cheers!

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  3. Alex J. Cavanaugh18 October 2011 at 14:07

    Not familiar with her work. I can see you moving the furniture around to make a stage though!

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  4. S.A. Larsenッ18 October 2011 at 15:14

    I'm not familiar with her. I tried to listen, but my laptop plugins are working properly. (REALLY need a new laptop!) What I was able to make out sounded beautiful!

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  5. Melissa Sarno18 October 2011 at 16:28

    I have never heard of her before. Her voice in beautiful. Thanks for sharing!

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  6. Matthew MacNish18 October 2011 at 17:21

    Never heard of her, but that's quite a tune!

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  7. Anonymous18 October 2011 at 18:58

    I've never heard of her but liked her unique sound.

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  8. Shannon18 October 2011 at 19:45

    You're right, I've never heard of her before but wow - I love her voice. :) Thanks, Jess.

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  9. Unknown18 October 2011 at 19:51

    I've heard of the song before but not of the singer. She sounds wonderful though.

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  10. Lydia Kang18 October 2011 at 21:51

    Wow, you are bringing back some major memories. I remember listening to her CD, but I can't remember which one it was. She has such an ethereal voice. I can see why you love her so much!

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  11. Unknown18 October 2011 at 23:37

    I can't say I've heard her before. The layers she uses are unique. Nice tribute.

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  12. Tracy Jo19 October 2011 at 03:58

    Are we not stumbling, are we not wondering...the water will hold us when we drown. LOVE this. I haven't heard of her but just added her to my list. Thank you so much for sharing!

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  13. Laura Barnes19 October 2011 at 06:23

    Wow, blast from the past. I listened to When I Was a Boy when I was in high school. I would rewind "Love is Everything" over and over. Thanks for the memories!

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  14. Steve MC20 October 2011 at 06:33

    I caught her on PBS one day by accident and was instantly enchanted. Part poetry, part theater, part jazzy folk. Like a fragile rare bird who can hear the angels.

    And holy crap - I just read up on her at Wiki to try to find the name of a song, and discovered she offers all her albums for free on her website. Good golly.

    http://www.janesiberry.com/home/music.html

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