Jodi has been a working singer/songwriter/musician for 20 years. Her first serious band was Australian alternative pop group, The Clouds, which she formed in 1989. The Clouds worked hard for 8 years, gaining a large and loyal following around the world with their powerful, slightly skewiff, yet catchy pop songs. The twin vocals of Jodi and co-frontwoman, Trish Young never failed to enchant listeners, either in recordings or in their live shows The Clouds were the recipients of 3 Aria nominations, repeatedly entered the top 20 of the mainstream charts, received a gold record for their debut album, Penny Century, played at the first 6 Big Day Outs, lived in the UK and the US, signed to Elektra worldwide and recorded over 70 songs which were released as 4 albums and 16 eps. Please visit www.miaowthecat.com/sd/clouds.htm and www.amws.com.au/clouds for more Clouds info.. Jodi chose to leave the Clouds in 1997 to go solo and explore more intimate and personal styles of songwriting and recording. She has released 3 solo albums. Jodi has been called “a national treasure” by Rolling Stone magazine and her second album, ‘In Dreams I Live’ received 2 Aria nominations. Jodi toured through the US and Canada to promote it and record some songs for her third album, “For Lovers, Artists and Dreamers” with Ron Sexsmith’s drummer, Don Kerr at his studio in Toronto. Jodi Phillis also formed the alt/country pop group with husband Tim Oxley in 1999 and they recorded the album ‘Red, Wine and Blue’ which received 4 star reviews around the world. Jodi and Tim have a recording studio in their home by the sea in NSW where they create their beautiful albums, amidst unwashed dishes, the kids homework and various piles of domestic mess. Most recently, Jodi and Tim have joined forces to form the luscious and laidback pop group, Roger Loves Betty. Their debut long player "Let Love Begin" is out now through Escarpment. See www.myspace.com/rogerlovesbetty to hear some of the songs and get the latest info. Jodi's voice is intimate and warm and able to pull off the most elaborate melodic twists her imagination can come up with. Jodi writes all styles of music from acoustic ballads to power pop, hard rock, dark haunting tunes, happy bouncy children’s songs, sad love songs, happy love songs, political folk songs, sunny sixties pop, country songs, and introspective songs of personal reflection but no matter what style of music it is, there is always an air of magic and an original sense of melody, making the songs sparkle. Jodi’s love of creating intricately entwining harmonies adds to the beauty. There are no limits to the imagination in Jodi’s world! The combination of music and words is infinite! Jodi Phillis - 'In Dreams I Live' Album After 10 years of an illustrious career in the Clouds and The Dearhunters (both critical and commercial successes) Jodi Phillis finally stepped out on her own with the beautiful ‘In Dreams I Live’. Heartfelt and deeply personal, the album explores the realm of love, heartache and relationships. Jodi’s voice is truly phenomenal and in a class of its own – wrapped around interesting and elaborate melodies which have been a signature of her songwriting career. Dreams and hopes are recurring themes throughout the album, with ‘Waiting, Wanting, Holding’ and ‘For The First Time’ epitomizing its strengths. ‘For The First Time’ explores personal freedom which could may be a metaphor for this solo album. Jodi also isn’t afraid to take us to dark corners of her world with the likes of ‘The Ballad Of Frances Piper’ (a sad tale of abuse) and ‘Ride The Darkness’. Nor afraid to experiment with traditional structures with drum loops ‘Come Over Sunday’ and ‘Sixteen’. This year Jodi has performed with Billy Bragg and Ron Sexsmith and 'In Dreams I Live' received two ARIA Awards Nominations. Like most solo albums it was a collaborative effort. There’s a plethora of guests who helped including Raph Whittingham (Stella One Eleven, Clouds), Fourplay, Tim Oxley & Greg Hitchcock (The Dearhunters), Robyne Dunn, Madeline King (Love Me.) The album was recorded by Genevieve Maynard and Jason Blackwell in Sydney. Let the album seep in and seduce you. Jodi Phillis is out on her own and in class of her own. 'In Dreams I Live' Album Reviews Review by Scott Berry - dB Magazine Candle records has a strong reputation for quality artists who have mastered the knack of songwriting, including Darren Hanlon and the Lucksmiths. Jodi Phillis debut solo effort, ‘In dreams I live’ will only strengthen Candle Records sizeable credibility. Any fans of Jodi’s previous bands The Clouds and The Dearhunters, will certainly not be disappointed, and she will be sure to draw a whole new generation of fans with her charismatic voice and superb songwriting. Surely the greatest let down of this whole release is its tacky cover, but presuming the listener can overcome the old book cliché, inside lies many a treat. As a solo performer Jodi is able really be adventurous, and dare to experiment with all kinds of electronic sounds (in the vein of the Underground Lovers), then on this same track (Come over Sunday) have a collaboration from Fourplay’s strings. The diversity of the album stretches from the swaggering country number, For the first time, through to the title track (which sounds remarkably like a 50s lullaby) through to Arrendlezgyne (the most Clouds-like song). The common thread that runs throughout the whole album is Jodi Phillis enchanting voice, her love for unusual harmonies and heartbreaking lyrics. The highlight of this often melancholy album is, The Ballad of Frances Piper, it stands out as one of the most stark and sad tales of abuse recorded. Jodi Phillis is able to be blatantly honest in a poetic manner, without appearing naively vulnerable and staged (in the way Jewel does). Instead she humbly sings candid lyrics such as “ You think I didn’t love you enough, well I don’t think you would let me.” Janet English (from Spiderbait) has had her moment in the sun, Dido is enjoying her time now. However, Jodi Phillis is more than a seductive voice, the song writing skills she has developed over her illustrious career and now displayed through ‘In dreams I live’ leaves her truly in a class of her own. Rolling Stone Review by Bob Gordon Throughout her work in the Clouds, the Dearhunters and Lounge-O-Sound, her quasi-solo LP of 1996, Jodi Phillis has distinguished herself as a wonderfully consistent songwriter/performer. That quality continues with 'In Dreams I Live', which walks through her favourite flavours, but with the sort of agreeable development that only a decade in the game can bring. 'The Ballad Of Frances Piper' is solemn in its view of child abuse, while the title track, with its gorgeously infectious backing vocals, is as sweet as real pop music gets. Phillis again shows herself to be a quiet achiever and something of a national treasure. *** out of 5. ‘In Dreams I Live’ Review - Oz Music Project by Lou ‘The latest release from founding Clouds member and hardest working mum in rock, Jodi Phillis, displays her glorious ability for beautifully odd harmonies and intricate guitar work. "In Dreams, I Live", Phillis's second solo release, expands on her dreamy soundscape debut, "Lounge of Sound". Working with reputable artists such as Genevieve Maynard (Bughouse and Stella One-Eleven) and Sydney based string quartet, Fourplay, "In Dreams, I Live" provides Phillis with the opportunity to further explore her innermost musical desires, free from the conflicting and often tense working environment commonly experienced when working with a full band. Here, Phillis is clearly in charge without being forceful or overbearing. Intricately constructed harmonies have always been a feature of Phillis' songwriting from her work with The Clouds to the every so slight country lilt of The Dearhunters. Phillis has an ear for the perfect vocal combination of notes that simultaneously invoke vibrations in your chest and melting sensations in your mouth. There is repeated reference to dreams throughout the album, with the title track "In Dreams, I Live", possessing a somewhat surreal quality to it, with all the colour and movement of a Baz Lurhman film. It flows from a calypso beat which is then all blown out of the water by a sudden blast of fuzzy distortion. In contrast, the gentle sway of "For the First Time" with the simple and sweet harmonies with Tim Oxley, shows a calmer and less meandering tone. There's a certain comforting air of sadness laced within the music, but it's not a debilitating or regretful sadness that is inescapable. Phillis expresses this sadness as more of a release in order to move on, rather than a need to wallow. The fact that such a wealth of talent can manifest in one person and flow so freely, only serves to make me so incredibly jealous. "In Dreams, I Live" is nothing short of remarkable.’ Review by Erica Urquhart - Beat Magazine In the tradition of The Dearhunters bittersweet ballads and The Clouds guitar pop, Jodi Phillis, a member of both musical acts, has gained a treasure trove of influences and inspiration, and is now creating her own sound and style. ‘In Dreams I Live’ is not Jodi’s first solo album, but probably her most defining in developing as a solo artist. Energetic, fun, sentimental, boisterous, playful, and sweet – oh so very sweet, are some of the terms that come to mind when listening to this record. The tunes could be described as squeezed lemon and honey, including a few unwanted pips. If you can swallow the pips, the album on a whole is harmonious and entertaining. Jodi pleasantly sails through songs with ballads and harmonies that The Andrews Sisters would be proud of. This is most evident in the title track for the record, ‘In Dreams I Live’, where the song has a 1940’s music hall flavour, with harmonies mostly characterized by kitschy dramatics, sing-along choruses, and smooth crooning. This is also where Phillis’s quirky sense of humour is evident when the song takes a short turn from the dreamy to the heavy grunge-rock kind, which for the most part feels misplaced and disturbing. However, this rude awakening may be symbolic of the writers frustration with love and the frailty of dreams, "I want you to love me and see what I see/I want to be special like you are to me, how vain, the pain…" Strength lies in Waiting, Wanting, Holding which is currently receiving high radio rotation. Phillis’s acoustic guitar carries a simple yet powerful tune amid expressive vocals. The country soaked pop of For The First Time is beautifully sung in harmony with Tim Oxley, which explores personal freedom after heartache and personal examination, "For the first time in my life I don’t need someone around to pick me up when I fall down again. I don’t know when it happened all I know is that it did, I think I’m finally getting rid of you." ‘In Dreams I Live’ was a collaborative effort with guests including Raph Wittingham (Stella One Eleven, ex-Clouds), Fourplay, Tim Oxley (ex-Verys) and Greg Hitchcock (The Dearhunters, You Am I) who also created the tropically-themed album cover. It’s simply worth listening to, for the attempt to recreate a dreamlike state with eccentric interludes and elaborate melodies, and the purity of Jodi Phillis’s voice.