Deena Chappell
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Deena Chappell

Cambridge, New York, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2015 | SELF

Cambridge, New York, United States | SELF
Established on Jan, 2015
Band Folk Americana

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"Voices of The Archeytpes"

Voices Of The Archetypes is a smart, eclectic blast of psychedelic folk music. You could call it a concept album, the concept being the quirky subconscious of charismatic singer/songwriter Deena Chappell Smith. It's loaded with stories told in clever poetry and a wonderful palette of sounds. With all its bounciness and humor you might think you're listening to music written for children. I could see a child being mesmerized by Smith's lovable songs but this is definitely a full-fledged, grown-up endeavor. It's sort of like adult music for the kid in all of us. Hey, it worked for The Beatles.

Deena Chappell Smith excels in all the folk styles she burns through. There's bluegrass (complete with an excellent guitar pickin' solo), swing jazz, light gospel, pop, and rock, all interlaced with unclassifiable nuttiness. The nuttiness is apparent from the very first song “Corporate” in which Chappell Smith plainly tells her boss “Sorry, I can't work for you no more. You and I both know that it means nothing,” while a twisted river of chimes flows in the background. It's the end of her deadening corporate life and the beginning of her adventure as a jester songstress. It's also sharp comedy as Smith lampoons her former employer and the corporate life she's leaving. Smith and producer Eric Geoffrey Belcher drive their point home with a few comical sound samples of real life. The song begins with the sounds of a stressful office and closes with Smith leaving the office for good, complete with the clip-clop of her high heels as she runs for her life. This segues into the revving of the “Big Green Bus,” a full-on psychedelic bluegrass jam.

The same humor and creativity continues through the remaining seven tracks, along with top-notch songwriting and assorted surprises. “Song For A Child” stands out as a wistful ballad but it doesn't break the flow. Smith kicks it up a notch with the hard-rocking tune “Shadow Thing.” It's got distorted guitars and mature themes, giving us a glimpse of Smith's darker side. The album ends on a lyrical high note with “Pandora,” Chappell Smith's frenetic tribute to Alice In Wonderland. In Smith's trip through the looking glass, Alice is the confident explorer Pandora who leads the way through Wonderland's fantastic maze. Luckily, Deena Chappell Smith does the same thing for us with her imaginative recording.


Nathaniel Rolnick – MuzikReviews.com Staff
April 4, 2010
- Muzik Reviews


"Voices of The Archeytpes"

Voices Of The Archetypes is a smart, eclectic blast of psychedelic folk music. You could call it a concept album, the concept being the quirky subconscious of charismatic singer/songwriter Deena Chappell Smith. It's loaded with stories told in clever poetry and a wonderful palette of sounds. With all its bounciness and humor you might think you're listening to music written for children. I could see a child being mesmerized by Smith's lovable songs but this is definitely a full-fledged, grown-up endeavor. It's sort of like adult music for the kid in all of us. Hey, it worked for The Beatles.

Deena Chappell Smith excels in all the folk styles she burns through. There's bluegrass (complete with an excellent guitar pickin' solo), swing jazz, light gospel, pop, and rock, all interlaced with unclassifiable nuttiness. The nuttiness is apparent from the very first song “Corporate” in which Chappell Smith plainly tells her boss “Sorry, I can't work for you no more. You and I both know that it means nothing,” while a twisted river of chimes flows in the background. It's the end of her deadening corporate life and the beginning of her adventure as a jester songstress. It's also sharp comedy as Smith lampoons her former employer and the corporate life she's leaving. Smith and producer Eric Geoffrey Belcher drive their point home with a few comical sound samples of real life. The song begins with the sounds of a stressful office and closes with Smith leaving the office for good, complete with the clip-clop of her high heels as she runs for her life. This segues into the revving of the “Big Green Bus,” a full-on psychedelic bluegrass jam.

The same humor and creativity continues through the remaining seven tracks, along with top-notch songwriting and assorted surprises. “Song For A Child” stands out as a wistful ballad but it doesn't break the flow. Smith kicks it up a notch with the hard-rocking tune “Shadow Thing.” It's got distorted guitars and mature themes, giving us a glimpse of Smith's darker side. The album ends on a lyrical high note with “Pandora,” Chappell Smith's frenetic tribute to Alice In Wonderland. In Smith's trip through the looking glass, Alice is the confident explorer Pandora who leads the way through Wonderland's fantastic maze. Luckily, Deena Chappell Smith does the same thing for us with her imaginative recording.


Nathaniel Rolnick – MuzikReviews.com Staff
April 4, 2010
- Muzik Reviews


"Deena Chappell"

From the chirping crickets of the first seconds of “Give the Girl a Break”, to the final round of Celtic fifes, drums and singing on the last track “Young Troubadour”, The Continuing Story of Roses in Crazyland is a musical adventure. Chappell's music is all over the place, in terms of creativity, and yet she maintains a connection to her folk roots and manages to meld a cohesive style from many varied elements.

“Give the Girl a Break” features some really interesting vocals. It basically switches back and forth between 1950s era ladies harmonization to just Chappell singing in a style I can only compare with Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. (Could there be a musical pun on “Breaking the Girl” in there somewhere?) 'What!?' you say. Believe me, it works. Contrast that with the serious electronic jamming on track 6, “Sin”, that could almost be a number off of The Cure's Wish (if The Cure had ever dabbled in folk music, that is), and you've got just a couple of examples of how you never know what to expect next while listening to this record.

Fans of regular folk music, do not despair! There are still tracks like “Me and Goldie” where you can get your fix. This is music that could well have rolled down an Appalachian mountain stream into a recording studio. From the great solo guitar work to the banjo and mandolin rhythms, it's all in there. If you like your music folksy, but get bored with hearing the same chord changes and instruments always used in traditional folk music, then this is the perfect CD for you! Don't miss out on the adventure happening in Crazyland.



Key Tracks- Give the Girl a Break, Me and Goldie, Sin

Donny Harvey- MuzikReviews.com Staff

March 10, 2011
- MuzikReviews


"Deena Chappell"

From the chirping crickets of the first seconds of “Give the Girl a Break”, to the final round of Celtic fifes, drums and singing on the last track “Young Troubadour”, The Continuing Story of Roses in Crazyland is a musical adventure. Chappell's music is all over the place, in terms of creativity, and yet she maintains a connection to her folk roots and manages to meld a cohesive style from many varied elements.

“Give the Girl a Break” features some really interesting vocals. It basically switches back and forth between 1950s era ladies harmonization to just Chappell singing in a style I can only compare with Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. (Could there be a musical pun on “Breaking the Girl” in there somewhere?) 'What!?' you say. Believe me, it works. Contrast that with the serious electronic jamming on track 6, “Sin”, that could almost be a number off of The Cure's Wish (if The Cure had ever dabbled in folk music, that is), and you've got just a couple of examples of how you never know what to expect next while listening to this record.

Fans of regular folk music, do not despair! There are still tracks like “Me and Goldie” where you can get your fix. This is music that could well have rolled down an Appalachian mountain stream into a recording studio. From the great solo guitar work to the banjo and mandolin rhythms, it's all in there. If you like your music folksy, but get bored with hearing the same chord changes and instruments always used in traditional folk music, then this is the perfect CD for you! Don't miss out on the adventure happening in Crazyland.



Key Tracks- Give the Girl a Break, Me and Goldie, Sin

Donny Harvey- MuzikReviews.com Staff

March 10, 2011
- MuzikReviews


Discography

Voices of The Archetypes -2009
The Continuing Stories of Roses in Crazyland -2011

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Bio

“A little nutty” is what one reviewer said about Deena Chappell when talking about her 2009 album Voices of The Archetypes
“As mad as a box of sectioned frogs…” said another

Born on Long Island to a pair of silly- in- love young musicians, Deena Chappell grew up listening to The Beatles, Doo-wop, Bill Monroe, Billie Holiday, folkies like Tom Paxton, Leonard Cohen, Peter, Paul and Mary and that’s just when she was hanging out with Mom. When she was with her dad, she was getting experienced with Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Janis Joplin and The Rolling Stones. Basically, Deena Chappell never stood a chance at living “normal” life (whatever that is). She knew from an early age that music was a big part of who she was.
She started performing with her mom in the local watering holes when she was fourteen. Classic Country was the order of the day and she mastered the styles of Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson and the rest of the outlaws (they don’t make ‘em like they used to). When she was sixteen, she started performing with her dad. That’s when she learned the ins and outs of rock and roll and rhythm and blues…Since then, she’s performed with some of the best musicians in the Northeast playing bluegrass, rock and roll, swing, folk and blues.
So when you listen to an album by Deena Chappell, you will be hard pressed to put her into any category and you begin to understand why she may be considered “a little nutty”…but ultimately, you will want to listen to it over and over again.
Go ahead, have a listen and while you’re falling down that rabbit hole just remember that nothing is truly what it seems.

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