Rebecca Timmons
Country of origin:
Canada
Type of music generally:
Beautiful, fierce evocative/eclectic alternative pop
Status:
Most recent release, The Turing Event (1999)
See also:
Rebecca Timmons currently seems not to have a web presence (5/11)
Comparisons:
Heather Nova, Tori Amos, Milla, Paula Cole, Kate Bush, Emily Bezar, Veda Hille, Once Blue, Toni Childs
Covers/own material:
Own
General comments:
she reminds me of heather nova, but is softer and sometimes more bluesy. (woj@smoe.org)She has a voice that ranges from deep and raspy to rich and high, and equally wide-ranging songwriting. I find both impressive, and her music has continued to grow on me over the years I've owned it. I can hardly wait for new releases from this creative artist. More, please. (Neile)
Wow. Powerful voice and brilliant songwriting. Vocally like a less intense Toni Childs. Musically like Tori Amos only different somehow. (stjarnell@yahoo.com)
I love husky/smoky voices. Her voice reminds me a bit of Emm Gryner's but I wouldn't compare them musically. I think my favorite thing about Rebecca Timmons is the way she uses choruses (I mean multiple voices; not the song structures). I also really like her instrumentation—strings, horns, woodwinds. (JoAnn Whetsell)
I think Rebecca Timmons is great—she has such a distinct voice and sound. (jjhanson@att.net)
Comments about live performance:
rebecca was seated at her keyboard center stage with the usual guitar/bass/drums encircling her. first thing i noticed was that she didn't look like any of the pictures of her on her website. the second thing i noticed was that her entire band had an air of serious musicianship about them—in fact, they reminded me, in appearance anyways, of mary margaret o'hara's ensemble. they were pretty comparable technically too, though with a different style.
rebecca started off with a keyboard-only song which, combined with her voice, immediately recalled some of milla jovonich's slower songs. with the exception of one other keyboard-only song, the rest of the set was with the full band. her music was well-executed, fairly straightforward, pop songs with a bright edge that are far enough from the norm to be interesting—in the same way that heather nova writes fairly straightforward pop songs which are just bent enough to catch my ear. however, i think a better comparison point for rebecca's current state of musical affairs would be the latter t'pau albums which is reinforced by a similarlity of her voice to carol decker's when she's belting out the faster, louder songs.
regardless of the compare and contrast game, i rather enjoyed her nyc-hour-sized (45 minutes) set. (9/00, woj@smoe.org
Recommended first album:
Either
Recordings:
- Rebecca Timmons (1995)
- The Turing Event (1999)
Rebecca Timmons
Release info:
1995—Iron Music Group, 49 Wellington St. East, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5E 1C9—77876051001-2
Availability:
Canada and U.S.
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Rebecca Timmons—piano, vocals
Guest artists:
Ken Myhr, Robert Bartolocci, Aubrey Winfield—guitars
Andy Stochansky—drums
Alisdair Jones—bass
Matt Horner—keys, Mellotron, organ, accordion
The Richardsons—additional vocals
Chris Tait—additional vocals on "Time to Come Home"
Jim McGrath—orchestral arrangements, additional keys
Adele Armin, Agnes Roberts, Vera Tarnowsky, Joe Pepper, Wendy Rose, Young Dae Park, Mi Hyon Kim, Mark Skazinetsky, David McFadden—violins
Susan Lipchak, Kent Teeple, Gary Labovitz—violas
David Hetherington, Audrey King, Tom Mueller—celli
Gary Pattison, Teresa Wasiak—French horns
Ernie Pattison—bass bone
Larry Weeks—trumpet
Dick Dorsey—oboe
Joaquin Valdepenas—clarinet
Liz Gowen—bassoon
Jeffrey White—special effects sound design
Produced by:
Aubrey Winfield
Comments:
Kinda in the folk vein, kinda poppy. Definitely unique and interesting (once you get past the throwaway first song which seems like a bone thrown to radio—the rest of the album is much more creative), this album rewards you with a deep warbly voice and deep warbly piano-based songwriting that sticks in my mind. And there are little short cool noisy intro bits to the songs! (Neile)i like that album—it has a vague conceptual feel, which i am at a loss to explain. (woj@smoe.org)
Definite shades of Tori Amos-like piano playing on songs like "Stand on Your Own": Tori-lite? Also slightly reminiscent of Milla (end of "Stand on Your Own") or Paula Cole in places. Sort of an odd combination of styles, including some histrionics (even some Kate Bush-style screams on songs such as "All That Money") that are a bit much at times. Still an interesting, varied listen. Features Ken Myhr (of Jane Siberry fame) on guitar. This is growing on me. (mjmjminla@yahoo.com)
There's a little bit of everything ectophilic in here: a shade of Emily Bezar, a smattering of Veda Hille, even moments where one thinks of Milla, Once Blue, and in the case of the final track, Tori's "Yes Anastasia" (I think it's the orchestral swells there).... Actually, one thinks of Milla a lot while listening to this album, come to think of it. And she's got Andy Stochansky on drums and percussion (Ani DiFranco fans rejoice), so you know it's got to be at least a little bit good. :) I highly recommend this if you can find it. (meth@smoe.org)
Probably my favorite CD of the year so far—this album is great. This is as good as everyone has said. Excellent piano, keyboards, unique voice and phrasing, interesting lyrics. Very diverse album. This is one I don't think I'd ever get sick of, but just grow to love more and more with every listen. Probably my vote for best new artist of 1996. It has all the things I like in a CD, interesting lyrics, great unique dramatic voice, passionate singing, weird little noises, etc. I see some definite comparisons in her voice to Milla, but personally like this album much more than The Divine Comedy (and I really like that album.) I think Rebecca is definitely an artist to watch. If any of you still haven't heard this and are looking for new music, check this out. (jjhanson@att.net)
i was thoroughly unimpressed. her voice was thin, and her music and lyrics were generic sounding. (iflin@speakeasy.net)
Besides being a beautiful piano-based album, it's emerged as a favorite this year. (carnivore@bigfoot.com)
Wow! This is a great album. Grows on me more with each listen. Some people have made some comparisons to Tori Amos, especially the piano playing and I'll have to go along with that. But I also hear a hint of Toni Childs at times too in the vox. Really glad I picked this one up. (kcd@cray.com)
I LOVE this. i hardly listen to anything else. (11/99, JoAnn.Whetsell)
The Turing Event
Release info:
1999—Diamond Ditty Productions
Availability:
See website for availability
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Rebecca Timmons—piano, vocals, synths, organs, backing vocals
Vita Rezza—drums
Pat Kilbride—bass
Robert Bartolucci—electric six- & twelve-string guitars
Carl Dixon—backing vocals
Guest artists:
David Dunlop—trumpet on 1 track
John Johnson—EWI on one track
Kim Deschamps—pedal steel
Carl Dixon—acoustic, electric guitar, synth, percussion, mini moog 5 tracks
Bruce Fowler—strings on 1 track
Richard Armin—cello interlude
Produced by:
Carl Dixon
Comments:
The Turing Event is one of those rare sophomore recordings that equals or perhaps even exceeds an amazing debut. On this disc Rebecca Timmons' rich, raspy voice sometimes croons and other times knocks you out with its power. The songwriting is equally strong—ranging from lovely soothing/haunting ballads to full-out grabbing rockers, not neglecting the kinds of pop hooks that keep a song ringing in your head but inventive enough so that the songs don't wear out their welcome there. This album, like the first, is beautiful, fierce, inventive, and highly recommended. (Neile)Wow, again. The first track brings to mind Toni Childs for some reason—though this is definitely Rebecca's vocals. The album ont he whole is pretty varied, and consistently good—though there are a couple of tracks that seem like reworks of tracks from her first album. Still, I love Rebecca's voice, and she's got some great songs on here—the only one I don't really care for is "Celestial Highway"—though I can't really pinpoint why. Still, highly recommended. One of my favorite albums of 1999. (jjhanson@att.net)
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