Music review – Jill Zmud: As We Quietly Drive By

Jill Zmud
As We Quietly Drive By
Self-released

As We Quietly Drive By is focused around Jill Zmud’s soft voice and acoustic guitar. The songs are more than just campfire folk songs; Zmud’s use of keyboards, pianos, organs, shimmering electric guitars, and cello ensures that. The majority of songs could probably stand fairly strong as solo-acoustic pieces, but the inclusion of other instruments gives them far more depth and makes them much more interesting to listen to.

As We Quietly Drive By is a pretty low-key album with minimal percussion, but songs such as “East of the Line”, “Wish”, and “By Your Side” pick up partway through and have some dynamic motion to them. The most unique song on the album is “Water in the Wine”, a short a cappella piece with some really beautiful vocal harmonies. Zmud’s debut album proves to be a pretty interesting 40 minutes of music that’s easy to listen to, but engaging enough to keep listeners’ attention.

Paul Bogdan
A&C Writer