ON DISC
“She has been called the queen of roadhouse rock, but the name of the home-grown record label of San Diego singer Eve Selis is just as revealing: Hippie Chick Twang. The latter description fits better, unless rocking with white-hot intensity is your idea of royal behaviour.
There's more than a touch of the blues mama about her, too (check out her raunchy, albeit out-of-sync performance of Honky Tonk Town on YouTube). On a good day, Selis makes Tina Turner seem like a shy, retiring wallflower.
Her new album, Angels And Eagles, reveals a more
thoughtful singer. The role model is not Tina Turner, but peers
such as Suzy Bogguss and Shawn Colvin - strong women who have grown
up but will not give in, and make music that reflects adult experiences.
The textbook example is Bonnie Raitt's Nick Of Time from 1989.
Similarly, Angels And Eagles is full of humane
moments: Selis tackles mortality in the affecting Goodbye,
and explores trading domestic fulfilment against worldly woe in
That's Enough. The songs, mostly co-written with
long-time writing and performing partner, guitarist Marc Intravia,
are crafted with loving expertise.
Street That I Grew Up On demonstrates that Selis
can evoke childhood memories and still stomp. Occasionally, the
sassiness tips into bossiness. 'Let there be no more cryin' days'
is more of a demand than a hope. Still, you can't be queen without
the odd imperious moment. ”
—Mike Butler "U.K. METRO" (July
2008)
“What most impresses about Eve Selis's fifth album, Angels
and Eagles, isn't how she deftly puts her own stamp on such gems
as Patty Griffin's 'Goodbye' and Gram Parsons' 'She,' but that the
10 songs Selis co-wrote here are nearly as good. Whether performing
homespun ballads ('That's Enough'), midtempo rockers ('Touching
the Eifel Tower') or blues-tinged odes to hope ('Welcome to Paradise'),
this San Diego music mainstay and her ace band reaffirm that they
are just one break away from hitting the big time.”
—George Varga "San Diego Union-Tribune" (May
2008)
“A "Angels and Eagles"
From her
early days fronting local Top 40 cover bands, San Diego's Eve Selis
has matured into one of the top singers on the area's roots music
scene playing regularly with folks like Tim Flannery and Berkley
Hart. Her new album, "Angels and Eagles," shows that Selis continues
to grow as a musician, to improve as songwriter and singer. Her
rough-hewn vocals are a perfect match for her countrified rock songs,
and she assembled a stellar lineup of musicians for the sessions.
The opening, title track on the CD is as good a song to come out
of San Diego County in, well, ever. Gorgeous melody, soaring harmonies,
wonderful lyrics — it's a perfect pop song, like something
John Mellencamp, Neil Young or a young Bob Seger might have turned
out. The rest of the disc is similarly solid — in the vein of Emmylou
Harris, melding country and rock into something uniquely Californian.
”
—Jim Trageser "North County Times" (May 2008)
“Eve Selis isn’t just a “singer” — she’s an emotion transducer who converts country, R&B, blues, folk, and rock ‘n’ roll signals into a megawatt zap that galvanizes everyone in its path. And as with fellow femme-furnace frontwomen Bonnie Raitt, Joan Osborne, Maria McKee, Melissa Etheridge, and Lydia Pense, the cauterizing power of Selis’s voice can arc-weld material from almost any genre into a personal manifesto.”
—Taylor Guitars "On Review"
(2005)
“Eve Selis and the band are San Diego favorites and rising quickly on the international stage with the release of "Nothing But The Truth." Selis delivers the group's blend of country twang, gospel fervor and rock 'n' roll punch with equal parts sanctification and sweat. Her bottomless lung power is matched by an emotional gusto that could blast your happy-hour oysters out of their shells.”
—Karla Peterson, San Diego Untion-Tribune - (Sept 2004)
“Widescreen roadhouse rock that impresses right from the opening thrash-country chords. Selis can head anywhere she wants with conviction.”
—Mojo- (Sept 2004)
“An impressive vocal range and confidence that oozes through the speakers. Do You Know Me is not your cookie-cutter country pop album.”
—Women Who Rock (March/April 2003)
“Do You Know Me is aflame with the San Diego treasure’s gutsy, emotional singing.”
—Chris Neal, Country Weekly (Jan. 21, 2003)
“Selis’ blend of rock, alt.country and pop is making believers of audiences everywhere.”
—Music Connection (Feb. 3, 2003)
“Quite breathtaking. Selis is quite a discovery and Do You Know Me proved to be a real find. A distinctive new voice on the block and one worthy of your attention.” (4 stars)
—Country Music People (UK) (Feb. 2003)
"A gifted writer and electrifying singer who stands head and shoulders above many of her big name contemporaries." (5 stars)
—Maverick (UK) (April 2003)
“Smart, often deeply affecting songs. As likable as she is listenable.”
—Goldmine (Feb. 7, 2003)
"Eve Selis is one dynamic singer. An absolutely fresh and original talent."
—Gritz (Spring 2003)
“Eve Selis’ voice is saturated with country soul. She nails the highs to the top and sweetly slides to the lows with strength and passion. Her music is absolute; it rocks and swings, crafted by a crew of hyper-talented musicians that not only play well, but also love to do so.”
—Riffage.com Featured Artist
“Eve Selis is on the fast track to becoming one of the hottest new artists in the Country, New Country, Alternative Country scenes. With a powerhouse voice aptly described as "lemonade and whiskey," Selis can turn a tune like nobody's business.”
—TwistedHumor.com (Nov. 2002)
“One of the most astonishingly powerful, emotive voices in the free world. Do You Know Me is a triumph of musicianship and genuine artistic expression.”
—Christian Musician (Jan/Feb 2003)
“An amazing voice and passionate delivery of her style of alt-roadhouse-twang-rock. Someone sign this woman!!”
—Paste Magazine (Jan-Mar 2003)
“The most requested local artist in the history of our station.”
—Robert Hughes (Sept. 2002)
Station Manager, KPRI, 102.1FM San Diego
“Do You Know Me is a powerful showcase for Eve’s surprisingly strong and remarkable vocal style. Extremely solid and entertaining.”
—Shut Eye Records (Nov. 2002)
“Eve Selis has a voice far more interesting than 200 percent of the singers you're likely to run across these days. ...she doesn't sing anything LIKE a singer, but like a person.”
—Richard Meltzer, The Reader
Long Road Home is a rollicking hayride through the backroads and open highways of Americana bliss. Eve’s rasping, wailing, heartbreaking voice delivers an emotional wallop on each and every tune...the band rocks like men possessed. They call it Roadhouse Rock and they mean it! Watch out for this lady.”
—MusicSource.com
Her new album, Long Road Home, rocks like a big dog and features all the right influences: from Wanda Jackson to Steve Earle.
—Buffalo Beat
“Eve Selis is a musical force to be reckoned with. ...a work of tender beauty and raw emotion...the most poignant and heartfelt work of her career...[the] arrangements are clean, spare and organic, with the focus properly honed in on Selis' lemonade-and-whiskey voice.” (five stars out of five)
—SLAMM Magazine
“Selis blends soul fire, rock grit and gospel-tent fever into the most striking vocals of her career. These slow-burning tunes cling to your skin like wood smoke.”
—Night & Day
“Eve Selis has recorded a solo album that spins my head...world class stuff....an adult dose of life, love and faith from a world class singer that deserves to be heard by a much larger audience. Echoes of Maria McKee, Patty Smyth and Bonnie Raitt haunt these musical moments, but Selis has truly found her own voice now. It's time for the rest of us to find her.”
—CCM Magazine
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