Chelsea Crowell
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Chelsea Crowell

Nashville, Tennessee, United States

Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Band Alternative Country

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"Top local albums of '09"

Chelsea Crowell, Chelsea Crowell
Chelsea Crowell's songwriting roots run deep on either side of her family tree, but she's not one to let her legacy define her. Her recent self-titled release features as much dark folk influence as it does country music, with instrumentation that brings to mind Nick Cave just as readily as Townes Van Zandt or Gram Parsons. What's more, the girl knows how to write a wistful lyric or two. As far as debuts go, this one certainly shows a lot of promise. D. PATRICK RODGERS - Nashville Scene


"Record Release Show Review"

The reason for the evenin', so to speak, was the release of Chelsea Crowell's stunning, self-titled debut album, and boy is it a reason to celebrate. Just to put things into perspective, after we heard "Tremolo Trees" for the first time a few weeks ago, we were so enraptured that we actually bought the album (!) because we were so impatient to hear the rest of the record. Sure, we could have waited a few hours for Cleft honcho Loney John Hutchins to wake up and give us a little gratis action, but we were smitten at first listen--and that never happens. Regardless, the platter would have been a bargain at twice the price, as it's chock full of taut songwriting and gorgeous arrangements that make us wonder what would have happened if Lee Hazelwood and Loaded-era Velvet Underground had a pickin' party in Sylvan Park.

Crowell and band delivered a top-notch set of soulful, psyche-tinged country that was beguiling and beautiful. "Where the Hell is Robert E. Lee?" and its sardonic Civil War narrator was a highlight, as were the rollicking "Never Be a Beggar" and the duet with her dad on "I Want My Seven Years Back." We've seen a lot of second shows in our day, but few--if any--have shown this much promise.
-Sean Maloney - Nashville Scene


"Artists on the verge 2010"

"...Chelsea Crowell is also a work of vivid lyricism, daring presentations, and a focused artistic vision refusing to be hemmed in by genre or heritage in its search for full expression, using all available tools—sometimes literally—to construct an environment suited to enhance stories that don’t always flow from beginning to middle to end, but rather drift off into ambiguous conclusions for the listener to puzzle out. Making the arrangements a character unto themselves allows Ms. Crowell, in many instances, to step back more into the role of reporter than protagonist, as the music carries the weight of the songs’ emotions. It’s a tricky maneuver, but the artist, who co-produced the disc with her musical collaborator/inamorato Loney John Hutchins, pulls it off seamlessly.."
-David McGee - Bluegrass Special


Discography

Chelsea Crowell, "Chelsea Crowell" (cleft007 digipak and vinyl)
Jane Only (forthcoming full length album from side band- early '10)

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Bio

Chelsea Crowell is a third generation songwriter with a lot on her mind. Born and raised in Nashville then New York City, she had lived all over the place by her teenage years. It was during this time that Crowell first carried on the so called "outlaw" torch when she was banned from the Misfits Fiend Club for a rebelliously opinionated "fan" letter. Through the years, and by way of Memphis and Charleston, her heart found its way back to Nashville and the music she was raised with. By 2005, she had started collaborating with friend and writing partner, Steven Braren who, by the way, first introduced her to Cleft Producer, Loney John Hutchins. A year later they formed the band, Jane Only. Shows were sporadic, but Crowell and the band recorded frequently, material of which will find a near- future release on Cleft. Jane Only was put on hold when partner, Braren, joined up with the band, Cheap Time, and by the start of '08, Chelsea had 3 albums worth of solo material. She and Hutchins began working tirelessly for a year straight. The result is her self titled debut, "Chelsea Crowell." It is a mixture of country soul, folk jazz, family, heartache and time travel. Cleft Music couldn't be any prouder to be a part of it, releasing the album on cd, download and vinyl.