California Years

iTunes Review

Jill Sobule raised $75,000 for the recording, manufacturing and distribution of her 2009 album. “The Donor Song” that finishes the album pays tribute to her fans-turned philanthropists. Elsewhere, Sobule, who once shocked the world with her edgy “I Kissed A Girl” back in 1995, keeps her social critiques up to date without resorting to angry backstabbing. She speaks her mind without flinching. This former New York-based songwriter adapts to the West Coast with that expected sense of ill-ease. She can celebrate the openness (“San Francisco” twists on the old Scott MacKenzie hit) but she remains suspicious of its charms (“Nothing to Prove,” “A Good Life”). “Where Is Bobbie Gentry?” works off that singer’s great hit, “Ode To Billie Joe.” She’s a people person who never stops questioning people’s motivations. More importantly, she’s a songwriter who never forgets to throw an attractive chorus, an alluring verse and some instrumental firepower behind her thoughts. She managed a full-fledged album here. No lo-fi demo for her fans but a multi-hued full-on production that proves resiliency has its charms and self-determinism never goes out of style.