“Comparisons don’t matter much, though, since Hill’s approach is so confidently original.”
The Georgia Straight
“as warm and achingly intimate as the best work of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings.”
The Georgia Straight
“Orchard places Jess Hill on a pedestal among Canada’s great female singer/songwriters.”
Canadian Musician Magazine
“This young lady had an impressive set of pipes. She could growl like June Carter (of Johnny Cash fame), and I mean that in the best possible way. It was friendly, fun, and great way to open the festival.”
– PanicManual (review of NxNE showcase)
“The only important thing you to need to know is that Jess Hill is the real thing and “Poppy, Poppy and a Black Crow Calling” is a song you want to hear. Right now this would be in my Top Five of the First Listen, First Thoughts standings.”
– Amphetazine
“For starters, she comes across as an old soul thriving in an increasingly modern world, and somehow she makes it look easy. Recombining traditional folk and blues elements to fit her unique artistic vision seems to be her forte, and there’s something terribly romantic about her music that constantly tugs at the heartstrings.”
– BestNewBands.com
“Her voice is taunting, mysterious and a dark, it is Noir Folk with touches of blues.”
Van-Music.ca
“If Tom Waits and Regina Spektor spawned a child it would be the talented Jess Hill. She writes colorful music that lifts her poems to new heights. I say poems because they do not feel like ordinary song lyrics. This is folk music with a slightly electronic feel over it, it takes a few spins to get into the album and still I find new things to discover in the songs.”
– Melodic.net
“Imagine, if you will, a sunny Sunday morning. The type of morning that you greet rather late, having stayed in bed just breathing in the sunlight, and enjoying the feeling of not having to do anything particularly important for the rest of the day. The type of morning where it’s warm in the sun, and cool and crisp in the shade. You there? Can you dig? What are you missing? Perhaps a soundtrack to this beautiful day? Well, luckily for you Jess Hill has the answer: her new album entitled “Orchard”. The songs are simply beautiful poetry and stories strung along by elegant melodies…this album never ceased to impress me. There’s just something about her vocals that have the ability to make you stop, smile and relax.”
– The Take Media
“Song stuck in my head: “Stagger” by Jess Hill. Vancouver-based folk noir singer-songwriter Jess Hill has a haunting quality to her voice that perfectly compliments her storytelling lyrics. Her newest CD, Orchard, is filled with stinging emotions and raw energy that skillfully moves from blues-draped guitar to folk to alt-country and back again.”
– Monday Magazine
“The show was the CD release of Orchard, the new album from Vancouver’s Jess Hill. Her powerful voice blended excellently with the great string arrangements. Highlights were the song that first hooked me on Jess Hill, “Orchard“, the building intensity of “Stagger” and the eerily haunting (pun fully intended) “Give Me Your Ghost”, with included a saw for added atmosphere. She ended the set with a pair of songs I have seen a few times [“Don’t Cry” and “Grow”], the first just her singing, and getting the crowd to scream at a couple points, then launching into a fast paced closer. Jess also had great charisma on stage, with some charmingly-nervous banter and story telling, giving the night a real intimate feel. None of the venues I’ve seen Jess in have been all that big, but I have a feeling she would be able to make a room of any size feel as intimate as a coffee house.”
– 3am Revelations
“Immediately personable, she softly spoke into the mike as if she were whispering to her closest friend and she sang as if she were playing to an open field of dying flowers at twilight. Jess Hill’s voice was spot on, barely trembling in all the right places.”
– Beyond Robson
“a staple in the Vancouver scene.”
– BC Almanac, CBC
Jess Hill 