Selia Qynn

Plus jazzy, le nouvel album de Selia ne manque pas de charme.
Sa voix posée flirte avec un saxophone sur fond de piano ou de cordes.
L'album, bien que très éloigné de l'idée que l'on se fait de la Country Music,
n'en reste pas très a langoureux, voire mélancolique.
A écouter, tendrement, les jours de pluie. Listen it tenderly.

Translation:
More jazzy, the new album of Selia does not miss a charm. Her poised voice flirts with saxophone in an
undercurrent of other instruments. The album, although very far away from the idea that one has of
country music, does not detract from the languorous, even melancholic persona. Listen to it tenderly on
rainy days.
Translation to The Moon & Me: - THE FRENCH TOUCH

Selia chante la mélancolie, l'instrumentation classique à cordes laisse filter
des bribes d'expressions celtiques mêlés d'envolées électriques.
Le mélange, bien qu'un peu lancinant, reste agréable à écouter,
la steel guitar pousse des cris aux accents country.
Le mélange est savant, les sonorités harmonieuses.

Translation: Selia sings the melancholy, the traditional instrumentation has hints of Celtic expressions intertwined
with electric flights. The mixture, although a little emotional, is pleasant listening, the electric guitar
cries with a country accent. The mixture is learned, with resonant harmonies. - THE FRENCH TOUCH

The first song I ever heard Selia Qynn sing was "Shades of Blue" and I was hooked. She is a confident guitarist and a determined songwriter. Her voice is hauntingly true and soothing. With these talents, Selia Qynn embraces the very reason singers sing and writers write; to provide the world with art that's entertaining and thought-provoking. Artistically speaking, listening to Selia Qynn's passion for song is no less gratifying than gazing upon the works of Van Gogh or Monet, and can be just as calming. Selia offers four titles here and they are all gems. "THE MOON AND ME" is a re-vamped release of Qynn's first cassette which is long out of print, and just as well, because this enhanced version is a well produced project showcasing some of Selia's earliest music. Qynn captures an electric side to pop-folk music with the help of Bill Wood on guitar on "Let It Go", while continuing to lazily wind down country back roads with cuts like "I Can't Ask". "THE SURREAL LIFE ADVENTURES OF STELAA QUEST" is a narrated production that works like a 66 minute choreographed musical. I haven't enjoyed a CD like this since I played Pink Floyd's "DARK SIDE OF THE MOON" while watching "THE WIZARD OF OZ." (I think you start the CD on the second roar of the lion...or something like that) "STELLA QUEST" is a clever production worth every penny. Qynn's third release is "CHARMED EXISTENCE" and is perfectly engineered by Karl Caillouet who has recorded the best of the best over the years. The retro-styled "Miss You Like Crazy" is refreshing, and Qynn pays tribute to her first love (Elvis) by including a very nice rendition of "I Can't Help Falling In Love". When you need a little more Selia Qynn, along comes "UNRELEASED." This is a fine collection of songs including that one that got me hooked in the first place. Along with her impressive discography, Selia Qynn is a noted and respected performer, and is always eager to help a fellow musician any way she can. Now you can enhance your CD shelf with any of these titles for only 13.99. You'll be the next Selia Qynn fan!!
- MYTEXASMUSIC.COM

The overall tone of the CD is quiet and rather introspective. Qynn's clear voice is hushed and the instrumentals somewhat muted. The songs are quite melodic and the sort of thing that you can easily sing along with if you're of the mind to do so (I like songs that are easy to sing to). There is, however, one track on the CD that sticks out rather like the proverbial sore thumb: "Let it Go," with its heavy electric guitar accompaniment, is very much rockinspired. This is not to say that it's not a good song, its philosophy fits with the rest of the CD, but its style doesn't really mesh. Among the other memorable tracks is "Gathering the Memories," in which Qynn sings to her son not to be in such a hurry to grow up; the lyrics in the liner notes are accompanied by pictures of her son as a toddler. "To a Dancer" is a sad goodbye to a friend who has died alone. "The Moon and Me" is a wonderful way to open the CD, with the imagery of the full moon rising. The Moon & Me is a great CD for quiet times alone or to share with someone else. - RAMBLES - A CULTURAL ARTS MAGAZINE

Initially scanning Selia Qynn's Charmed Existence, I noticed the nostalgic title font, the misty-eyed cover worthy of a paperback romance and finally the version of "Can't Help Falling in Love" among the songs. Warning bells started going off. But when the first notes played, those bells faded, replaced by sultry vocals suitable for a smoky jazz club, along with a backdrop of saxophone, hand drums and flute. There's mystery here in these atmospherics, the mystery born in a relationship, when two people start out together on an unknown path. This jazz flavor continues via Kelly Dean's saxophone, but it's also varied with folk leanings, including some fine cello work by Max Dyer. It's an interesting and well-constructed stylistic palette, well-suited to Qynn's intimate and nuanced voice, which is capable of both power and restraint. Qynn handles both lead and backing vocals, and displays a strong vocal gift with both. Following a single relationship's arc, or perhaps those of several different relationships, the songs start in the mist of possibility and gradually shift to a concrete if lightheaded reality. Like a landmark midway along the road, "Seasons" makes this path clear with its image of passing months that lead to the eventual winter, thus foreshadowing a relationship's bleak end. Despite this traditional story of a couple's affair, Qynn's beautiful voice and the accomplished musicians involved provide the variety and depth to keep the listener's interest. A passage of Spanish decorates "Royal Love," and "Miss You Like Crazy" unexpectedly becomes an amusing, bouncy '50s pop tune. Amid this playfulness, more serious songs like "Bitter Blue" maintain enough energy to avoid morose melodramatics. Many fine lyrics decorate the narrative like precious stones on a chain, among them the first track's epigram, which might well serve as the blueprint for the entire CD: "Fantasies are stories, illusions are not real / And tricks are never magic, but feelings always feel." Fortunately, even the seemingly easy lyrics become more complex in context. Qynn declares "I want water" on "Desert Wind," only to shortly be "tortured in this storm" during "Winter Rain." Much of the early, daydreaming innocence becomes more deliberate when one realizes that Qynn already knows the unpleasant end of this story. Such stereotypes and cliches exist in part because they do succeed in expressing basic human feeling and experiences, even those that seem hopelessly naive in retrospect. In the end, my early impression of Charmed Existence was not completely wrong. The romance here is dominant, and it is a little precious, a little stereotypical. But then, real romance is often these things too, a fact Qynn seems to well recognize. Enough delicate realizations appear here to counterbalance the certain familiarity, and the balance of light elements with darker ones makes each mood's relative truth all the more apparent. Those seeking a measured look at relationships, one built on jazz flavor and strong vocals, one that's light but not insubstantial, will find Charmed Existence a rewarding choice. - RAMBLES - A CULTURAL ARTS MAGAZINE