Track 4 on Done Gone Fire is the first immediately accessible song on a wonderfully eclectic record of "12 songs," the rest of which will stick deeply in due time. Titled "Proposition," it is a sensual groove with a soulful, very, very womanly quality. Not too unlike an Alicia Keys song, really -- just not as (over)produced. Janes' less (commercially) catchy numbers are no less soulful, and are often as moving, indignant, and vibrantly morose as the output of such male icons as Waits and Costello, and are made perhaps even more glorious by her unchained female perspective. The instrumental contributions of Matthew Haseltine and Sufjan Stevens help Janes sound, frankly, like a fiery, despondent song goddess of sorts. Candid studio outtakes inbetween tracks bring her back among us, but only for a moment, here and there.
Editors' ratings - Doug 3.5/5, Jason 4/5
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth April 2002Reviewed by Dr. Bruce L. ThiessenWhat makes the music of Janes so addictive? Well, I wish I had the answer down pat, but I don't, so I'll point to a parallel. When Pat Boone released In a Metal Mood in 1997, I was one of the only critics in the mood to listen. I was one of the only ones who stopped laughing long enough to consider the true spirit of rock 'n roll that spawned this oddball collection of Glenn Milleresque "metal"…The Phantom Tollbooth April 2002Reviewed by Dave KerschbaumA few seconds into Liz Janes' debut CD, Done Gone Fire, and the mood has been set. Sad, husky vocals and a sparse, blue guitar give us the album's one-minute and change intro, "Martyr's Grind Up." The sparseness and blueness continue throughout the disc with several sonic surprises thrown in to make sure we're paying attention. What we wind up with is good old blues with off-kilter accents and…Opus 2002Reviewed by Chris BrownThe beautiful thing about reviewing records is that from time to time you receive a disc that you know absolutely nothing about, yet it just hits you so hard that you can't get it out of your player for days on end. This is one of those records. Most often described as a post-punk songwriter, I hear a lot more jazz than punk in Janes' smoky vocals while the instrumentation draws on an enormous…Similar sounding releases
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