Eve Selis
Album: Family Tree
Label: Sanctuary
Tracks: 14
Website: http://www.eveselis.com

Family Tree is the seventh, and long awaited new CD from Americana favourite Eve Selis and her band. Fourteen tracks provide an unprecedented 57.22 minutes of listening pleasure. Ten of those tracks were written by Eve and her longtime musical partner Marc 'Twang' Intravaia, with others including writing from Leonard Cohen and Lori McKenna. Musicians include Albert Lee (guitar, mandolin), Dennis Caplinger (dobro, banjo, mandolin and violin), and Rick Schmidt (pedal steel). Not to mention her much loved Eve Selis band; (Rick Nash, bass; Larry Grano, (drums); Sharon Whyte, (keyboards and accordion); 'Cactus' Jim Soldi, (guitars); and Marc Intravaia, (guitars). The CD was recorded in Encinitas, produced by Steve Churchyard, who is a Grammy Winner for his work with Celine Dion, Joni Mitchell, The Eagles, Sheryl Crow, Tim McGraw and The Pretenders, to name but a few.

In typical Eve Selis style, she and the band manage once again to blur the boundaries between musical genres, as she shows that vocally she can 'do' Americana, country, blues, honkytonk, rock. and ballad as well as the best of them; as she wraps her soulful voice around each song.

Some songs will be familiar to those who saw her live last tour and who bought her Ten Songs on Six Strings EP; some with different titles and arrangements. I won't spoil the surprise by saying which. Others continue the theme of real life; Bump in the Road, for example, was written for a friend. Perhaps the biggest surprise was Eve's stunning take on Leonard Cohen's Hallelujiah, complete with her own arrangement. Many of these songs should surely be a hit on radio.

Eve has a gift for taking you on a journey with her CD's; from touching you with her lyrics to making you laugh and want to dance. Yet all the while, she says it like it is, with lyrics to which I think we can all relate. That is, without a doubt, why she connects so well with her listeners and audiences.

Eve is back in the UK this July; look for her at a venue near you, for a night of music you will never forget. Buy the CD before that, however, and either continue your Eve education or begin it with a great collection of songs. I'll be seeing her at The Sage on July 2nd and am glad that once again, All Roads Lead to Here!

Helen Mitchell