Eilen Jewell
(Signature Sounds Recording Company)
It's a little bit confusing for those who merely dabble in the world of contemporary roots rock and alt-country to keep track, but there are distinct differences between Eilen Jewell, Eleni Mandell, Eileen Rose, and even Elana James of Hot Club of Cowtown. Guess none of these women had mothers who wanted a child named Ellen.
At any rate, Jewell is the one whose first name rhymes with "stealin'," the one with a brand new album, and the one with the most distinctively rootsy band at her side. Guitarist Jerry Miller is the perfect foil for Jewell. Imagine Duane Eddy sneaking into the studio while Peggy Lee was recording "Fever," and surprising her with a rumbling, rollicking set of licks, and you'll be in the ballpark. Bassist Johnny Sciascia and drummer Jason Beek can hold down the smooth slow grooves or pump up the faster rockabilly-inspired rave-ups, too.
Jewell herself has a jazz singer's phrasing, if not quite the range. Make no mistake about her singing; she never hits a wrong note, and she never sounds out of place. She crafts simple, insistent melodies out of the few notes at her disposal, and then makes sure we understand the words are what's important while the band keeps our feet busy.
Bookended by a pair of instrumentals (well, "Kalimotxo," the closing cut, does include Jewell intoning the mysterious title now and again), the album includes twelve songs of love and loss and comfort and memory. This is the first time Jewell has recorded exclusively her own songs after four previous albums of originals and covers, and last year's tribute to Loretta Lynn.
"I Remember You" sounds like something from one of Dylan's most recent albums, with its bluesy undertone and insistent rhythm, and lyrics such as "We were Bonnie and Clyde / We thought we'd go down in history / I guess we changed our minds." The title track is a speed-demon novelty number making sport of the sheer number of sad songs Jewell tends to write. "Santa Fe" is one of the minor-key melancholic odes to which she refers, an eloquent series of memories pulling further and further away from reality; the song begins with awareness of her lost love's faults and ends with belief that she walked away from perfection.
If Jewell's management has been on the ball, they would have made sure by now to get a copy of "Warning Signs" to the producers of the HBO series "True Blood," for this is a perfect end-credits number for almost any episode the show wants to use it. And it's catchy as all git-out. Equally TV-ready is "Bang Bang Bang," a short and intoxicating look at the modern-day take on the Cupid metaphor.
If Eilen Jewell is reminiscent of anyone, it's Chris Isaak, who has made a long career out of melancholy ballads and rockers sung with a cry in his voice and a love for pop hooks. Jewell sings in her own way, and prefers a simpler, more live sounding feel in the studio than Isaak's big production approach. But that only adds to her charms; there's a real intimacy about the simple way Jewell and her band play these songs. Queen of the Minor Key charms and beguiles with a minimum of obvious effort and a maximum of obvious taste.
DOWNLOAD: "Warning Signs," "Bang Bang Bang," "Reckless." STEVE PICK
