Nashville, TN – Since the April 21st release of Sea of Tears, critics have taken note of Eilen Jewell’s third album and are celebrating her alluring vocals and intimate song choices. From The Boston Globe to Magnet, the album has been featured on top ten lists and highlighted for its extraordinary blend of blues, folk, and rockabilly. Maverick bestowed a perfect 5-star review for the album and Blurt declares, “Jewell and her razor-sharp backing band put the jumper cables on classic rock.”
In addition to glowing reviews, Sea of Tears is moving up the Americana Radio Charts and holding in the “Top 10″ for more than 7 weeks. On the chart with legends such as Elvis Costello and Bob Dylan, Eilen Jewell remains the only female artist in a top 10 boys club as reported to Americana radio. iTunes also lauded the album as “New and Noteworthy” in April, just one week after its release.
Unveiled April 21, 2009, through Signature Sounds, Jewell is more Dusty Springfield than Gillian Welch. Sea of Tears finds the artist acknowledging her electric influences and the roots of rock and roll on the album’s twelve tracks. She pays homage to the British invasion of the sixties, bands like The Kinks and The Animals; her forlorn, yet confident, delivery matches slow rock and resonant guitar sounds throughout the record. Although nine of the tracks are Jewell originals, the entire album could easily have been recorded forty years earlier.
Sea of Tears has a smooth sliding pace that is punctuated by a chill of sharp guitar. The tone can be summarized in the words of “Shakin’ All Over,” a cover of Johnny Kidd & The Pirates’ recording, where Jewell expertly explains the album’s sound in the lyrics, “Quivers down the back bone…shakin’ all over.” The slow syncopation on the record hits the listener like ice water on a hot sunny day, unexpected but appreciated – evidently, a feeling valued by music supervisors at the HBO series “True Blood,” who have slated “Shakin’” to appear in a forthcoming episode this season.
The album was recorded along with her touring band; a tried and true ensemble of Jewell, Jason Beek (drums, harmony vocals), Jerry Miller (electric, acoustic, and steel guitars), and Johnny Sciascia (upright bass). The rapport of years touring together along with the musical talent are album highlights; the four musicians merge to produce a tight swagger that cascades through the album.
Eilen Jewell is a multi-faceted artist whose previous two records, Boundary County (self-released, 2006) and Letters from Sinners and Strangers (Signature Sounds, 2007) received national attention for their crisp, organic feel.
Jewell continues to tour in support of the record Sea of Tears and her summer dates include high profile performances at The Birchmere, FitzGerald’s, The Ark, and Rams Head. Take every opportunity to see Jewell live to witness the transformation of the stage around her into a performance arena of the 1950s and 1960s; as the Washington Post pointed out in their live review of her May IOTA show, “Jewell is a roots music star in the making.”
