Search - Celia :: Break

Celia comes from a background of gospel church, teenage years in London's south-end, bluegrass in the Midwest, a passage through folk, on through to the grooves on her new CD "Break". She's been compared to Rickie Lee Jones, Billie Holiday, Fiona Apple, and her writing has brought to mind for some Stevie Wonder and Laura Niro. She released the solo album "While I Lay Watching" in 2000 and then started co-writing "Break", released July 2003, with guitarist Bruce Knowlton of Pittsfield MA and Robby Baier of Melodrome (melodrome.net). Robby went on to engineer and produce the album with it's layers of distortion, slide and percussive guitar and the rhythmic sounds of tongue drum, glockenspiel and hammond penetrated by Celia's soulful vocal. Celia's sojourn started in church in Rutland Vermont. Her church naps were interrupted by her father's bellowing voice that rose above all others during church hymns, accompanied occasionally by the strident piano playing of her artist mother. Her preacher family emigrated to London England where she sang gospel choruses (think Andre Crouch) at church until college age, at which point she moved to Missouri where she sang Lone Justice and Mary Black songs at Hootenannies with friends on guitar and mandolin. It was on a whim she moved toMaui where she learned some guitar from the some locals, so that when she moved tothe East Coast she started performing in cafes. It wasn't long till she started playing piano and that first solo album was released. Since then she has toured as duo with pianist Peter Jones (joneschord.com) and guitarist Bruce Knowlton. Reactions to the first CD were equally divided. One reviewer advised her to move to Nashville, wait tables and write for "one of their stars". Another thought she was doing it right saying her work was reminiscent of earlier Dylan and Mitchell albums. Her new album, "Break" is rooted in her love of groove, soul, R&B. Her primary influences (Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Etta James) have a chance here to be more fully explored. Absorbing it all, Celia continued to perform, showcasing at NEMO in Boston, playing at the Antifolk Festival in New York, playing alongside Melissa Ferrick and Toshi Reagon at a college festival, opening for Sally Taylor, and playing all the local rooms like Club Passim in Boston, The Sidewalk Caf in NYC, Club Helsinki in Great Barrington and The Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton MA. Celia's release show is at Club Helsinki (clubhelsinkiweb.com) with new band members drummer Chris Ryan, Sue Burkart on acoustic (superkartrocks.com), John O'Boyle on bass, and Jim Weeks on electric and keys. She hopes to expand her touring schedule and sell this album farther than the first one went (Sweden, Germany, Albania, England, Spain, and France.) Contact Celia at celia@celiasongs.com,