A true romantic at heart

Canadian singer/songwriter explorers her cabaret side on latest EP

For Canadian songstress Jill Barber, a little less is actually better. Her two recordings to date have both been in the EP (mini-album) format, one she believes merits a little more respect:
"I do like that form, but people don't give it the same weight as a full album. I can sort of understand why, but it shouldn't be that attitude of 'it's just an EP.'"
After setting out on her solo musical career in 2001, Barber released her first record, the eight-song A Note To Follow So in 2002. It received rave reviews and solid college and CBC radio play across the country, marking her as a talent to watch out for. That was reaffirmed last year with the release of Oh Heart, the six-song collection that charts Jill's progress as an intelligent lyricist armed with a charming voice and impressive musical chops.
On the coldest day of the winter, armed with a warming latte, Barber discussed her work with Tandem. She returned to her Toronto hometown last year, but soon will relocate back to her adopted home of Halifax. "I feel really at home in the Maritimes," she said. "I've been made to feel very welcome there. There used to be the idea that as an artist you need to be at the epicenter of everything, Toronto, but I think that's changing."
Jill recorded Oh Heart at CBC Radio's Studio H in Halifax, the happy aftermath of an interview she had with CBC's Glenn Meisner, who co-produced the record. "I really enjoyed working on it there. I had this great opportunity, with a lovely studio and great session players in their pocket and a budget to make it happen," she explained.
This meant Barber and her rhythm section could use a string quartet and guests on clarinet, accordion, French horn and guitar to flesh out her songs. They proved the perfect accompaniment to the cabaret-flavoured feel of some of her tunes, a style suited to her sweetly haunting vocal style. "There's something about the real romantic music of past eras that I am really attracted to. I just really connect with that sort of idealistic notion of romance in music.
"Oh Heart is a totally different take on the songs," she continued. "I like it that I can have my live performance be one thing and the recording another, not just a capturing of my live show."
Barber often performs solo, armed with just acoustic guitar. She acknowledges that her next recording will probably not be as sophisticated or elaborate as Oh Heart. "It's unlikely that I'll have the same range and calibre of musicians available to me next time. It may be a bit more stripped-down, which I don't mind. I write the songs with just acoustic guitar and hope they can stand up on their own."
She has begun writing for what is likely to be a full album next time. "I'm a slow writer," she cautioned. "They're fast when they come, but that's sporadic. I've made a conscious decision to take my time with it."
Barber has an equally talented singer/songwriter as a sibling, brother Matthew (now signed to Warner Music Canada). The two toured Western Canada together last November, and frequently add to each other's songs. Any thought of writing together?
"Quite frankly, I'm not sure if I'm open to that idea. I've never written with anyone else, ever. It would be an interesting experiment, but it's not a style of writing I'm leaning towards. To me, it's more of a private thing."
Matthew deserves credit for introducing Jill to Joni Mitchell's music by buying his sister a copy of the classic Blue when she was 13. "That may just be my favourite record of all time," she said. Barber also admires the lyricism of Leonard Cohen and admits to being inspired by Sarah Harmer, with whom she has often been compared. "As a teenager in Toronto, I once went backstage to meet Weeping Tile [Harmer's former band]. I was a huge fan."
Coincidentally, Barber later moved to Kingston, Harmer's base, to go to university. She performed there with a pop-rock band, Bent Ivy, but their one attempt at recording ended disastrously. "We recorded half an album there, then it got erased by mistake. I guess it felt like an omen, the record that was never meant to be!"
Look for future Jill Barber work to meet a far happier fate.
Oh Heart is out on Dependent Music. Jill Barber opens for Josh Ritter at The Rivoli on Jan. 29.

Publication Date: 2005-01-30
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=4883