Jill Andrews

The buzz: Since her band, The Everybodyfields, called it quits, Andrews released a wonderful self-titled EP in 2009, and made a delightful appearance at Bonnaroo in 2010. 'The Mirror' has been named by 'Paste Magazine' as one of "five summer debut albums to get excited about."

The verdict: With a voice as powerful as Neko Case, and as memorable as Sharon Van Etten, Andrews delivers on her first full-length, a personal collection of songs that touch on hope, loss and love. Mixing folk and pop, Andrews has written some of her strongest songs to date, the best of the bunch being the up-tempo "Sound of the Bells," the bouncy title track and the refelctive "A Little Less." With smart lyrics and catchy melodies throughout, 'The Mirror' proves that Jill Andrews is blossming before our eyes.

Did you know? 'The Mirror' was largely funded by Andrews' Kickstarter campaign, which garnered over $12,000. She'll also be touring nationally with legendary songwriter J.D. Souther this summer. - Metromix

t's like a freshly brewed glass of sun tea with a splash of lemon and sugar. Jill Andrews' first solo full length album, The Mirror, takes you to an intimate place of joy, sorrow, heartache and love.



After Jill Andrews and Sam Quinn disbanded from The Everybodyfields in 2009, Jill spent the next 2 years redefining herself as a musician. While you will still recognize Jill's sweet, southern voice she is now accompanied with a more mature and full sound. The Mirror, set to hit stores June 7th, showcases Andrews' cunning ability to write genuine songs that will pull at your hearts strings. Each song will make you feel as if she is singing directly to you.

While many musicians today are still trying to find ways to turn music into careers, Andrews has done this by forging a special relationship with her fans. Back in January 2011, Andrews' started a Kickstarter campaign for the production of The Mirror. A few weeks, 279 backers and $12,244 later, Andrew's has the backing she needed to produce her full length album.

Andrews has been hitting the road hard the last two years, performing all over the country. Team Andrews is growing every day in numbers and now she will be bringing her band, as well as JD Souther, right to our doorstep at The Arts Center in Carrboro, NC on June 12, 2011. There's no excuse for not hearing Jill in one form or another. You can view videos, like her facebook, follow her twitter and you can even listen to The Mirror in full right here.
- No Depression

I heard Jill Andrews one night on a public radio stream while working hard here at TSI. I instantly thought maybe it was Kathleen Edwards since she is due to have a new record out soon. But listening closer I realized it was someone else. I made sure that I listened for the unveiling of the artist’s name after the track ended and upon hearing “Jill Andrews” and the title to her latest release Mirrors, I instantly contacted her PR to see if we could get a copy of the record for review here on TSI.
I spend the last week or so with the album and just recently discovering Jill, I’m now a fan. Jill is a Knoxville, TN native, and still resides there today. She started singing at a young age which continued through her teens while strumming her guitar as a camp counselor. She was once part of duet called The Everybodyfields. In 2009 Jill decided to go solo and most say this is when she really started to shine as an artist and a true signer songwriter.
Jill’s full length album Mirrors (released last Tuesday) is full of simple, but beautiful story telling tracks. Most of the songs relay an alt-country feel with soft vocals that paint a picture of life situations and trials, hence my instant personal comparison to Kathleen Edwards. The lyrics cut right to the heart of anyone who has ever been lost in love, dealt with drama, and struggled growing up. There are a few tracks that are more upbeat vs. tender like the track “Blue Sky” which reminded me of one of Jill’s influences, Fiest, and the title track “Mirrors” which also reminded me of Fiest, mixed with Sara Barellis! Track number 9 “Another Man” is a great little ditty that’s a toe tapper which really resembles Fiest.
My favorite track on the album is number 8 -”A Little Less”. Second for me is track 7 -”Cut And Run”. Both give you the feeling of laying in the grass at dusk on a summer day with the smell of a farm or the dusty road to home in the air. They both are mellow dramatic with a more Alt-Country feel that you would get from Kathleen Edwards.
Over all this is a charming record. For me it is full of perfect summer time tunes. Fun, but real, with some up-beat tracks that are great for a car ride with the windows down, but also great for relaxing in a hammock. - Tri State Indie

I heard Jill Andrews one night on a public radio stream while working hard here at TSI. I instantly thought maybe it was Kathleen Edwards since she is due to have a new record out soon. But listening closer I realized it was someone else. I made sure that I listened for the unveiling of the artist’s name after the track ended and upon hearing “Jill Andrews” and the title to her latest release Mirrors, I instantly contacted her PR to see if we could get a copy of the record for review here on TSI.
I spend the last week or so with the album and just recently discovering Jill, I’m now a fan. Jill is a Knoxville, TN native, and still resides there today. She started singing at a young age which continued through her teens while strumming her guitar as a camp counselor. She was once part of duet called The Everybodyfields. In 2009 Jill decided to go solo and most say this is when she really started to shine as an artist and a true signer songwriter.
Jill’s full length album Mirrors (released last Tuesday) is full of simple, but beautiful story telling tracks. Most of the songs relay an alt-country feel with soft vocals that paint a picture of life situations and trials, hence my instant personal comparison to Kathleen Edwards. The lyrics cut right to the heart of anyone who has ever been lost in love, dealt with drama, and struggled growing up. There are a few tracks that are more upbeat vs. tender like the track “Blue Sky” which reminded me of one of Jill’s influences, Fiest, and the title track “Mirrors” which also reminded me of Fiest, mixed with Sara Barellis! Track number 9 “Another Man” is a great little ditty that’s a toe tapper which really resembles Fiest.
My favorite track on the album is number 8 -”A Little Less”. Second for me is track 7 -”Cut And Run”. Both give you the feeling of laying in the grass at dusk on a summer day with the smell of a farm or the dusty road to home in the air. They both are mellow dramatic with a more Alt-Country feel that you would get from Kathleen Edwards.
Over all this is a charming record. For me it is full of perfect summer time tunes. Fun, but real, with some up-beat tracks that are great for a car ride with the windows down, but also great for relaxing in a hammock. - Tri State Indie

I heard Jill Andrews one night on a public radio stream while working hard here at TSI. I instantly thought maybe it was Kathleen Edwards since she is due to have a new record out soon. But listening closer I realized it was someone else. I made sure that I listened for the unveiling of the artist’s name after the track ended and upon hearing “Jill Andrews” and the title to her latest release Mirrors, I instantly contacted her PR to see if we could get a copy of the record for review here on TSI.
I spend the last week or so with the album and just recently discovering Jill, I’m now a fan. Jill is a Knoxville, TN native, and still resides there today. She started singing at a young age which continued through her teens while strumming her guitar as a camp counselor. She was once part of duet called The Everybodyfields. In 2009 Jill decided to go solo and most say this is when she really started to shine as an artist and a true signer songwriter.
Jill’s full length album Mirrors (released last Tuesday) is full of simple, but beautiful story telling tracks. Most of the songs relay an alt-country feel with soft vocals that paint a picture of life situations and trials, hence my instant personal comparison to Kathleen Edwards. The lyrics cut right to the heart of anyone who has ever been lost in love, dealt with drama, and struggled growing up. There are a few tracks that are more upbeat vs. tender like the track “Blue Sky” which reminded me of one of Jill’s influences, Fiest, and the title track “Mirrors” which also reminded me of Fiest, mixed with Sara Barellis! Track number 9 “Another Man” is a great little ditty that’s a toe tapper which really resembles Fiest.
My favorite track on the album is number 8 -”A Little Less”. Second for me is track 7 -”Cut And Run”. Both give you the feeling of laying in the grass at dusk on a summer day with the smell of a farm or the dusty road to home in the air. They both are mellow dramatic with a more Alt-Country feel that you would get from Kathleen Edwards.
Over all this is a charming record. For me it is full of perfect summer time tunes. Fun, but real, with some up-beat tracks that are great for a car ride with the windows down, but also great for relaxing in a hammock. - Tri State Indie

I heard Jill Andrews one night on a public radio stream while working hard here at TSI. I instantly thought maybe it was Kathleen Edwards since she is due to have a new record out soon. But listening closer I realized it was someone else. I made sure that I listened for the unveiling of the artist’s name after the track ended and upon hearing “Jill Andrews” and the title to her latest release Mirrors, I instantly contacted her PR to see if we could get a copy of the record for review here on TSI.
I spend the last week or so with the album and just recently discovering Jill, I’m now a fan. Jill is a Knoxville, TN native, and still resides there today. She started singing at a young age which continued through her teens while strumming her guitar as a camp counselor. She was once part of duet called The Everybodyfields. In 2009 Jill decided to go solo and most say this is when she really started to shine as an artist and a true signer songwriter.
Jill’s full length album Mirrors (released last Tuesday) is full of simple, but beautiful story telling tracks. Most of the songs relay an alt-country feel with soft vocals that paint a picture of life situations and trials, hence my instant personal comparison to Kathleen Edwards. The lyrics cut right to the heart of anyone who has ever been lost in love, dealt with drama, and struggled growing up. There are a few tracks that are more upbeat vs. tender like the track “Blue Sky” which reminded me of one of Jill’s influences, Fiest, and the title track “Mirrors” which also reminded me of Fiest, mixed with Sara Barellis! Track number 9 “Another Man” is a great little ditty that’s a toe tapper which really resembles Fiest.
My favorite track on the album is number 8 -”A Little Less”. Second for me is track 7 -”Cut And Run”. Both give you the feeling of laying in the grass at dusk on a summer day with the smell of a farm or the dusty road to home in the air. They both are mellow dramatic with a more Alt-Country feel that you would get from Kathleen Edwards.
Over all this is a charming record. For me it is full of perfect summer time tunes. Fun, but real, with some up-beat tracks that are great for a car ride with the windows down, but also great for relaxing in a hammock. - Tri State Indie

(Liam Records)

Jill Andrews became known to many Americana music fans through her former band. Led by the duo of Andrews and Sam Quinn, who were also a couple early on in the band's history, the Everybodyfields came out of the mountains of Johnson City, TN to ultimately settle in Knoxville. Right as the band seemed on the cusp of significant success, it broke up as both Quinn and Andrews chose to pursue solo careers in 2009.

After quietly putting out an EP later that year, Andrews has released her first album The Mirror. The record has two producers, each recording tracks at two different studios (Scott Solter in North Carolina and Neilson Hubbard in Nashville). The two producers also provide two distinct sets of sounds and textures as Hubbard's tracks have a fuller pop production while Solter's tracks take a more stripped-down approach.

In the past few years, Andrews has experienced a great deal of change in her life. She's gotten married, given birth to her son, and embarked on a solo career after having spending several years as part of the Everybodyfields. The surprising revelation of The Mirror is how it is able to capture the entire emotional scope of those changes.

The album starts with "Sounds of the Bells" an orchestrated pop song that builds with a rushing chorus. For those used to the simpler acoustics of her former band, the leadoff track comes as a surprise, but Andrews pulls it off. Next, comes "Wake Up Nico", a lullaby for her infant son. In these two songs, Andrews gives a taste of her new life and new found contentment as a wife and mother. However, this is only the beginning as her songs soon focus on the pain and loss that preceded her current happiness.

The breathtaking "Sinking Ship" follows and begins with these devastating lines:

I can't sing these songs no more
I can't look at your eyes pretending that you still love me
There's no hope in there
I gave up a long time ago but I'm searching
Now not finding the better part of me cause I want it back
I want it back

The song captures the moment a long relationship is finally over. She looks back at all she has lost knowing the most devastating loss was herself.

The Mirror doesn't try to linearly follow the path of going from a failed relationship to a loving one. Instead, it places happier songs next to sad ones next to pensive ones. This effect is further heightened by having two producers with different aesthetics. The resulting album becomes like the thoughts inside our minds as they ponder difficult subjects and consider them from many angles, trying to find a sense of understanding.

After the aching sadness of "Sinking Ship", "Blue Sky" and "Blue Eyes" come next with the former coaxing a "glass half full" perspective to life while the latter finds Andrews reflecting on the simple gifts that she has been given through her young family. Although both songs are of happier subjects, each reveal some past moments of darkness underneath the happiness.

"Cut and Run" and "Little Less" bring back the sadness of "Sinking Ship". "Cut and Run" details the aftermath as she's finally walked away from a broken relationship ("I will miss the dreams in my head. More than I will miss, more than I will miss the way it was.") "Little Less" takes her back to those moments when she was alone, far from her missing lover who hasn't been there for far too long:

The night is a black crow
And I am a sparrow
I sing to my lover and dive through the dark
With a little less of my heart

By the time the album ends with "You" proving the humbling and moving need for love and connection, Andrews has taken her listener on a powerful journey through her heart and mind.

Andrews leads us on this journey with a rare and pure voice. It can be sweet for pop songs, and it can also bring real mountain soul to acoustic ones. Her vocals bridge the gap between Jewel and Gillian Welch, two strong and unique singers. Considering the vast emotional landscape Andrews travels on The Mirror, her ability to shift quickly from one vocal style to another only adds to this album's beauty and sadness.

While Andrews doesn't play on this metaphor in the lyrics of her title song, calling her album The Mirror does bring to mind how seemingly perfect reflections in a mirror are also reversed. In the same way, the pain and heartbreak of past relationships will often fuel and inform the stability of a loving marriage. This duality of reversed reflections lies at the heart of the song tapestry of The Mirror. It places all of love's images next to pain's to present them as one thing, always connected.

- Jim Markel - Swampland

Paste Magazine Five Summer Debut Albums To Get Excited About (The Cults, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., The Givers, Jill Andrews, The Middle East) - Paste

For the nearly six years that the Everybodyfields were together, critics and fans made comments about the sadness in the group's songs.

That isn't the case with Jill Andrews' new album, "The Mirror."

"I'm just a different person now," says Andrews in a call from her South Knoxville home. Andrews was half of the creative core that made up the Everybodyfields. "It's been years since the Everybodyfields put out an album. I feel like I've jumped out of the nest and grown up. Some of the things I wrote then, I don't write about now. I can express joy in songs now."

Andrews is on the eve of a national tour, part of it opening for singer-songwriter J.D. Souther.

Although Andrews released an EP two years ago, "The Mirror" is her first full-length CD since the Everybodyfields disbanded in 2009. Paste magazine has already named the effort one of its "Five debut albums of the summer to be excited about."

The qualities of Andrews' earlier work are certainly evident in "The Mirror," but there's a different feel to it.

"This is like everything else I've ever done," says Andrews. "The songs are very personal to me. My life was changing a lot, a lot of rapid changes, incredible joy, a little bit of pain. All kinds of things were happening. I think I was real open to just going with whatever came to me as opposed to putting a box around it."

Part of that change was becoming a mother. Andrews' son, Nico, who just turned 2, is the subject of at least one song on the new album.

She says she never worried that "Wake Up, Nico," might be so specific to her own life that audiences would have trouble relating to it.

"That's a really close one to my heart," says Andrews. "It is so personal, but I feel like the general feel of that song is just caring about somebody so much and feeling sad and guilty that you have to leave them. ... It could be anybody that you really care about that you have to be away from."

Andrews says she's an artist who waits for inspiration rather than sitting down to force songs.

"But I can feel it coming," she says. "That's when I know I need to call a sitter. ... Actually, a lot of times I'm just writing during my son's naps!"

Motherhood, she says, has changed things.

"I'm not a good multi-tasker. Sometimes my mind just feels like scrambled eggs."

Rewards in the music business have been an odd mix. She says she enjoyed performing at Bonnaroo in 2010, but she enjoys small house concerts even more. And one nice surprise was being asked to help a local 13-year-old girl prepare for an audition on the talent program "The X Factor."

"At first, I thought 'I don't know anything about that. I haven't watched any of those shows.' But it turned out to be one of the most fun experiences I've had - just helping coach someone. I helped her learn how to feel confident on stage and helped her work on her stage presence. You know, just helping someone and showing them what I've learned over the past seven years, it was great."

Andrews says one of her goals was to make a video, and the video for the title cut on "The Mirror" should be released soon.

The video was shot at Relix Variety Theatre and spots in South Knoxville and involved lots of longtime friends. An as-yet-unrealized goal is having a song appear on TV or in a feature film.

"That would be so awesome, to sit on the coach and turn on the TV and watch a song make people feel all kinds of emotions for somebody I don't know ... and feel the dollar bills rolling in! That would be awesome!"
- Knoxville News Sentinel

Found Sound: Former everybodyfields singer Jill Andrews says she was surprised when her songwriting took “a more indie rock/pop direction” for her first solo album.
When Jill Andrews released her debut solo EP in 2009, it sounded like a complete artistic statement. The six-song disc marked a departure for Andrews; unlike the fuzzy, reverb-heavy, mountain Gothic alt-country of the everybodyfields, the band she had performed with for the previous years, the quickly recorded self-titled EP showcased Andrews’ rich, clear voice in clean, spare folk-pop that recalled the West Coast sounds of the early 1970s.

Two years later, though, Andrews’ new full-length CD, The Mirror, makes that EP sound like just one step in her evolution toward a more expansive sound. The new disc features bouncy piano pop (“Another Man,” “Sound of the Bells,” “Blue Sky”) alongside well-crafted acoustic ballads (“Blue Eyes”) and a lullaby to Andrews’ son (“Wake Up Nico”).

“It’s different in some ways, for sure,” Andrews says. “The EP was very lo-fi, it was mostly live, and a lot of the songs on it were just me getting a whole lot of stuff out emotionally. The new album is, as well, in some ways—in a lot of ways. But I think there’s more hope in the lyrics and the melodies.”

The Mirror, which will be released with national distribution on June 7, was recorded in North Carolina and Nashville with producers Scott Solter and Neilson Hubbard. Andrews features the same band that backed her on her 2009 EP—keyboardist/guitarist Josh Oliver, bassist Vine Ilegan, and drummer Chad Melton. Working with Solter, who co-produced Superchunk’s 2010 comeback album Majesty Shredding, and Hubbard, who has worked with Garrison Starr and Toad the Wet Sprocket’s Glen Phillips, helped shape the disc’s poppy accessibility.

“We all basically played together and got the rhythm tracks, the bass and the drums, and that’s what we did on the EP, too,” Andrews says. “From the live performance of it we saved whatever we could, and if it wasn’t good we overdubbed it. It was different in the sense it was in a different place and we had a producer—we actually had two producers who worked on it, individually. That was cool, having a little more direction. We spent many weeks recording it.”

But an even more important factor in The Mirror’s broader range is Andrews’ songwriting.

“I guess one of the first songs that moved directions was the first song on the new album, ‘Sound of the Bells,’” she says. “I was very surprised when I wrote that. I was surprised and very excited. I always had written songs that people would come up to me and say, ‘Your songs are so sad. They’re good, but they’re so sad.’ I love sad songs, so that’s always what I wrote. It’s how I got things out. So I was surprised when I started writing in a more indie rock/pop direction. I like it. I think it’s actually more like my personality in real life.”

To support The Mirror, Andrews will play a handful of headlining regional shows, followed by a spot opening for singer/songwriter J.D. Souther, who co-wrote some of the biggest hits for the Eagles, including “Heartache Tonight” and “New Kid in Town.” While Andrews played in front of big audiences with the everybodyfields, she expects these will be her biggest solo shows yet. “I think his audiences are going to be pretty big,” she says. “We’re playing in a lot of big venues. So yeah, they should be pretty big.”

Her next local show is an in-store appearance at Disc Exchange the day The Mirror is released; she has also scheduled an official album-release show for July 8 at Relix Variety Theatre. In the meantime, she will play a surprising everybodyfields reunion show at the Rhythm and Roots Reunion Music Festival in Bristol in mid-September. It will be the first time she’s played live with former bandmate Sam Quinn since 2009.

“That happened because we were asked to play at Rhythm and Roots, and I called Sam and the rest of the band and asked if they wanted to do it, and they all said yeah,” Andrews says. “I think it’ll be a good thing for us to do for a lot of reasons. It’ll be fun to relearn those songs. I still play some of them, for sure, and I know Sam does, too. It’ll be fun to play together and just do that thing again.” - Metropulse

By Jon Stone June 7th, 2011 at 10:35 am

Jill Andrews
The Mirror

When Jill Andrews released her self-titled EP in 2009 soon after the break-up of her folk duo The Everybodyfields, it played a little bit like a six-song “Dear John” letter. And while the songs chronicle the slow and careful dismantling of a romantic relationship, it wasn’t easy — especially for devoted fans of Jill Andrews and Sam Quinn’s promising project — to not read into the music looking for answers for the break-up.

Those who listened closely, however, found a collection of songs from Andrews stronger than her work with Quinn: The emotional depths were deeper; the narrative arc more detailed and full of insight and catharsis. The Mirror, Jill Andrews’s first full-length record, draws on the strengths of her previous work, but does so in what feels like a deliberate move from the indie fringes (and the edge of despair) — and into the a more emotionally stable, pop-friendly milieu. This bodes well for Andrews’s career as her great range as an artist is, for the first time, apparent, but will disappoint fans who have grown accustomed to Jill’s voice as the soundtrack to their chronic malaise.

On The Mirror, Andrews stretches out and pulls back the curtain a bit to let sunshine and breeze in the room on songs like the up-tempo opening track “Sound of the Bells” and the superstitious title-track “The Mirror.” Both display a conscious break from her alt-country roots and show off new influences and expertise. But the sunny sound is sometimes a smoke-screen for still deeply-affecting lyrics; “Wake up, Nico,” for example, is a morning song to Jill’s son full of both the joys of parenthood and the fears, worries, and regrets that go along with raising a child. Jill has become an expert here and on other songs throughout The Mirror of artfully capturing emotional paradox.

This isn’t to say that The Mirror doesn’t have a little of that trademark Jill Andrews heartache. “Cut and Run”, a lovely ode to better memories and bitter realities, is Andrews at her subtle best. The song starts with a simple piano and acoustic guitar before arcing into a stormy midsection and back while Andrews sarcastically capitulates: “You can tell all your friends that I just cut and run when it got too tough.” You’ll also find a bit of that same resolute sadness on the track “Sinking Ship” but like most of the album, the song doesn’t wallow in despair but accepts it as a condition of humanity and pushes on through. Indeed, The Mirror is a portrait of emotional endurance, and as such is a promise that Jill Andrews is at the beginning of a wonderful and long-abiding career.
- American Songwriter