REVIEW: Eilen Jewell’s brand new album ‘Gypsy’

In her first album release in 4 years (containing original Material) Eilen Jewell’s album Gypsy is set to make waves upon its release on August 16th. It also marks the first time that Jewell recorded electric guitar herself for an album, something she’d only ever done before playing live on stage because there is more room to not sound absolutely perfect every single time.

The album opens with Crawl, the perfect way to set the scene for this album, it’s punchy and bluesy and is the sort of track that will get stuck in your head for weeks and would perfectly in a film soundtrack during an epic driving scene. There’s a reason it’s so perfect, it’s been 8 years in the making! 

It may have been a slow burner to write, but this song is without a doubt going to be an immediate favourite to all who listen to the album, both old fans and new!

This album features one cover, You Cared Enough to Lie by Pinto Bennet and recalls the first time she heard the song, she looked at the steel player who mouthed to her that she had to cover the song, and the rest, they say, is history. It’s a real nod to traditional, classic country but it’s one that everyone can enjoy.

The title track, Gypsy, is poignant and wistful and breaks up the album perfectly, it’s a grounding song, which is ironic considering that the opening line is ‘fly gypsy fly’ but I think that is what makes it such a beautiful song.

Eilen uses her music to speak out, especially about politics, and as she rightly says, they’re intertwined in her life like the rest of us, not separated just because she makes music. 

Overall, this album feels nostalgic and like a throwback, whilst also feeling like a complete breath of fresh air, and exactly what the country and Americana scene needs at this exact moment in time.

Review written by Emily J Weall (https://twitter.com/EmilyJ_Weall)