Nashville, TN (Top40 Charts/ Lotos Nile Media) - 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 "Newand 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."
Recent Praise for Sea of Tears:
"If Sea Of Tears were just depressing, I wouldn't bother to mention it, but it's just the opposite. It's bracing, like the glass of cold water a friend tosses in your face when you've been lying in your bed too long. Jewell is a rock classicist here, her songs summoning echoes of the late 1950s and 1960s, but that voice has the binding force of a pair of silk handcuffs." - John Marks, Magnet
"If Neko Case, Madeleine Peyroux and Billy Holiday had a baby girl who grew up to front a rockabilly band, she'd probably sound a lot like Eilen Jewell." - Juli Thanki, Washington Post
"Eilen Jewell can brood with the best of them. As she pushes forth her way-down-but-not-quite-out tunes on Sea Of Tears, her third album, you can just about feel the scar tissue that has built up around her heart. You can almost see the fog rolling in around her." - Scott Brodeur, No Depression
"With a voice like maple syrup, this singer-songwriter puts her distinctive stamp on a stack of delicious offerings, from folk rock ("Rain Roll In") to blues ("I'm Gonna Dress in Black") to Loretta Lynn nugget ("The Darkest Day")." - Holly George-Warren, More Magazine
"On her new disc, Sea of Tears, Jewell and her band ... meld her folk- and country-inspired songwriting with the swagger of bands like the Animals and the Kinks. The combination works remarkably well." - Mary Houlihan, Chicago Sun-Times
"Equally adept at roadhouse-rock, lounge jazz, honky tonk and the occasional dollop of quasi-Dylan folk, Jewell and her razor-sharp backing band put the jumper cables on classic rock here..." - Jud Cost, Blurt
"Eilen Jewell's Sea of Tears has the feel of a breakout record... [Jewell] has built an avid following with three rootsy recordings teeming with songs that sound born of speakeasies and honky-tonks and train rides, all without - and this is the truly impressive part - a whiff of contrivance." - Rick Cornell, Independent Weekly
"Hometown gal Jewell is yet another proud member of Boston's first-rate roots-rock community, with a penchant for mining the best of country, rock, and rockabilly." - James Reed, Boston Globe
"This album has the added WOW factor that makes it extra special!" - David Knowles, Maverick Magazine
"It's a major statement from an artist whose natural allure has already caught the attention of a lot of serious music fans. This album is likely to expand that growing audience a lot further." - Kevin O'Hare, The Republican
"On this CD, Jewell shows she can wander with the best of them, and write riveting song-stories about her adventures along the way. The slow syncopation on the record hits the listener like ice water on a hot summer day; unexpected, but appreciated." - Sean Hickey, West Chester Daily Local
"One of the best up-and-coming women on the scene these days." - Kim Ruehl, About.com Folk Music
"...Interpretation is just one of Eilen Jewell's many musical gifts. Fortunately she has chosen to share them all in abundance on this vital, and in-valuable, new recording." - Mike Jurkovic, Folk and Acoustic Music Exchange
"By the end of Sea of Tears a couple of things are obvious. One, there really isn't anyone out there doing what Eilen does.... Two, this album will be on many a year-end Top 10 list, and with that said, three; this album is Essential Listening...." - Nine Bullets
"...It is an album perfect for America, right now." - The Late Greats
"Eilen and the band...has brought old-timey folk music out of the past and into the present. This little sidetrip back 40 years is well recommended." - Modern Acoustic Magazine
"With a sound that has some under the radar 60s feel to it, you can tell she's more Dusty Springfield than Joan Baez. This is a must for anyone that's ever mooned over a sensitive folkie. - Chris Spector, Midwest Record
"...This record successfully connects the dots between Billie Holliday, Madeline Peyroux, and Gillian Welch, and it's just irresistible." - Stuart Mason, Fiddlefreak Folk Music Blog
"With a powerful yet melancholy voice that demands to be heard, Jewell goes right for the roots of Rock and Country music in a performance that is likely to be lauded in critical circles." - Wildy's World
Tour dates:
Jul. 2 - Cambridge, MA - Lizard Lounge
Jul. 8 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom & Tavern
Jul. 9 - Pittsburgh, PA - Rex Theatre
Jul. 10 - Pomeroy, OH - Rhythm on The River
Jul. 17 - Greenfield, MA - Green River Festival
Jul. 18 - Middletown, CT - Center for the Arts
Jul. 22 - Lake George, NY - Summer Concert Series
Jul. 23 - Rosendale, NY - Rosendale Cafe
Jul. 24 - Annapolis, MD - Ram's Head
Jul. 25 - Alexandria, VA - Birchmere
Aug. 1 - Ann Arbor, MI - The Ark
Aug. 6 - Paonia, CO - Paonia Town Park
Aug. 8 - Breckenridge, CO - Breckenridge 150 Party
Aug. 15 - Snowbird, UT - Snowbird Tent Revival
Aug. 18 - Seattle, WA - The Tractor Tavern
Aug. 28 - Berwyn, IL - FitzGerald's
Aug. 29 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom & Tavern
Aug. 30 - Buffalo, NY - Sportsmen's Tavern
Sep. 1 - Arlington, VA - IOTA Club and Cafe
Sep. 2 - Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Live
Sep. 4 - Charlestown, RI - Rhythm & Roots Festival
Sep. 10 - Tilburg, The Netherlands - 013
Sep. 11 - Den Haag, The Netherlands - Paard van Troje
Sep. 12 - Lage Vuursche, The Netherlands - De Furs
Sep. 13 - Ottersum, The Netherlands - Roepaen
Sep. 15 - Oentsjerk, The Netherlands - Stania State
Sep. 16 - Oldenzaal, The Netherlands - Cobblestone Club
Sep. 17 - Hoorn, The Netherlands - Het Huis Verloren
Sep. 18 - Vlissingen, The Netherlands - De Piek
Sep. 19 - Leffinge, Belgium - Leffingeleuren Festival
Sep. 29 - Barcelona, Spain - La 2 de Apolo
Oct. 1 - Madrid, Spain - El Sol
Oct. 2 - Gijon, Spain - Sala Acapulco
Oct. 3 - Bilbao, Spain - Sala Azkena
Oct. 5 - Maidstone, UK - The Loft Nightclub
Oct. 7 - London, UK - The Luminaire
Oct. 8 - Bristol, UK - St. Bonaventure's
Oct. 9 - New Milton, UK - Forest Arts Centre
Oct. 10 - Norwich, UK - Norwich Arts Centre
Oct. 11 - Chorley, UK - St. Bede's
Oct. 12 - Nottingham, UK - The Maze
Oct. 14 - Glasgow, UK - Stereo
Oct. 16 - North York Moors, UK - The Band Room
Oct. 17 - Tingewick, UK - Tingewick Village Hall
Nov. 13 - Raleigh, NC - Berkeley Cafe
Nov. 17 - Asheville, NC - The Grey Eagle
Nov. 20 - Tampa, FL - Skipper's Smokehouse
Dec. 11 - Marblehead, MA - Me & Thee Coffeehouse
