EILEN JEWELL —SEA OF TEARS (SIGNATURE SOUNDS / CRS)

[Maurice Hope]

EILEN JEWELL —SEA OF TEARS (SIGNATURE SOUNDS / CRS)

www.eilenjewell.com
www.signaturesounds.com

Built around a tight, easy to define band of four including her self, Eilen Jewell goes back to the basics for this album. That is if she had ever strayed in the first place.
Accompanied by Jason beck (drums, percussion, vocals), Jerry Miller (various guitars, electric, acoustic, twelve-string and non-pedal steel) and John Sciascia (upright and six-string bass) and Jewell on acoustic guitar, organ and lead vocals it has a good pared back sound. So good that it would be difficult to pass up such fine cuts as ‘Nowhere In No Time’, the melodic ‘Rain Roll In’ —that, though only the opening track before the first verse was finished I was hooked completely, and hungered for more of the same.
While I do admit some of her songs do drag their heels, and there tends to be an overall likeness as Jewell and the band overdo the dark, mystical material. Good as they are.
Among the homespun cuts there are delightful covers of a made-for-measure take of Johnny Kidd’s ‘Shakin’ All Over’ (a wonderful for the boys in the band to pick like crazy), Loretta Lynn’s ‘Darkest Hour’ that leans towards music typical of her late friend Ernest Tubb and finally, ‘I’m Gonna Dress In Black’ (M.Gillion – M. Howe) as the title suggests —it is a dark affair.
With the presentations stripped bare and sharp, the musicians like with the lead vocals of Jewell, who has the ability to draw the listener close to her emotions as she delivers the likes of ‘One Of these Days’ leave an indelible mark. Possessing such terrific lines, as ‘the only thing that moves is the laundry on the line and dusty dog that bits just to kill the time’ it sums up a worn out backwoods small town scenario quick as a bolt of lightning.
Title cut ‘Sea Of Tears’ fuelled with guitar, bass and percussion vibrates and kicks up quite a dust before making way for the magical ‘Faded Memory’ sneaks in to among other delights allow Miller to play some great lead guitar.
Penultimate track, ‘Everywhere I Go’ has a slightly funky feel as Eilen and the band perform a fine shuffle before closing with the dark, world-weary ‘Codeine Arms’.
After showing great promise and building my hopes up, Jewell’s music overall has an imbalance as too much darkness prevails —, but hey you may well like feeling sad.
Maurice Hope