Singer-Songwriter Eugenie Jones' New Album Penned, "Winner"

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BrightIDEAS Marketing Communications

Jan 02, 2025, 13:58 ET

EUGENIE JONES UNVEILS SELF-TITLED ALBUM - A GROOVE-INFUSED JOURNEY INTO PASSION, BETRAYAL, AND REVENGE ON JANUARY 20, 2025

SEATTLE, Jan. 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- BrightIDEAS Communications and Open Mic Records announce Eugenie Jones' new self-titled release, EUGENIE, a profoundly personal and ambitious project, hitting airwaves on January 20, 2025.

Eugenie Jones - "Eugenie,"
EugenieJones.bandcamp.com/album/eugenie-2 — Eugenie Jones - "Eugenie," EugenieJones.bandcamp.com/album/eugenie-2

YouTube Channel: Eugenie Jones | Smoke & Satin
Youtube.com/channel/UCBb2rElZfj0wIz8imGwWovQ — YouTube Channel: Eugenie Jones | Smoke & Satin Youtube.com/channel/UCBb2rElZfj0wIz8imGwWovQ

Seattle-based singer, songwriter, and jazz legacy activist Eugenie Jones will release her highly anticipated album, EUGENIE, on January 20. Throughout her ten-year career Jones has become known for her smooth, powerful, satin vocal style and her intelligent, insightful songwriting, earning her comparisons to legendary songwriters Abbey Lincoln and Nina Simone. *EUGENIE*, follows five highly acclaimed albums, including the #7 Jazz Week Top 50 hit *PLAYERS*, which featured renowned artists such as Reggie Workman and Bobby Sanabria.

Following suit, EUGENIE – an exquisite, soulful, straight-ahead release with masterful instrumentation, beautiful string arrangements, rich melodies, and captivating narratives – is creating quite a buzz among music critics. "Highly recommended," "impeccable phrasing and delightful," "soaring vocals," "emotive and enthralling," "captivating," and "instrumentally lustrous" are only a few of the encomium compliments the project has already received.

The New York City Jazz Record's music critic Anna Steegmann wrote, "This album is a winner... Each track will get under your skin, make you want to get up and dance, feel empowered, or experience beauty in sadness: one thing it will not do is leave you indifferent."

Produced by bassist Lonnie Plaxico, sixteen musicians contributed to the bi-coastal recording. The New York recordings feature pianists Brandon McCune and Mamiko Watanabe; saxophonist Rico Jones; trumpeter Gil Defay; Jessica Wang on cello; violinist Yoojin Park; Plaxico on bass, Russell Carter on drums, and percussionist Kahlil Bell. The Seattle recording session includes pianists Darrius Willrich and Peter Adams; guitarist Michael Powers; saxophonist Alex Dugdale; bassists Elliot Kuykendall and Chris Symer; drummer Ronnie Bishop and Ernesto Pediangco on percussion. These talented musicians brought their unique style and expertise to the album, contributing to its rich sound and captivating narratives.

The album showcasing the depth and breadth of Jones' talent is composed of 13 tracks. Six originals - (bringing her total published works to 32) range from swing, Latin, slow-burn ballads, and bluesy originals - and seven glistening contemporized classics initially recorded by Peggy Lee, Nat Adderley, Nina Simon, Aretha Franklin, and Marvin Gaye present a balanced array of sound and emotion.

The album opens with Jones's self-declarative "Why I Sing," with the compelling lyrics "DRIVE! DRIVE! DRIVE to wherever jazz lives," ratcheted up by the exuberantly musical lockstep of McCune on piano, Plaxico on bass, and Carter on drums.

Originals, "Starlight Starbright" and "Nothing Better," buoyed to another realm by cellist Jessica Wang and violinist Yoojin Park, testify to Jones' ability to craft wondrous ballads with a sensuous vocal prowess that emphatically pulls listeners inside the throes of passion past, present, and yet to come.

But the album is far more than romantic melodies. The tenor shifts considerably with the hip, yet reminiscent, arrangement of Nina Simon's ubiquitous "Sinnerman," the bluesy, "put-the-blade-in-my-heart-while-looking-in-my-face" original "Say What You Will," the slowed groove of Peggy Lee's "I Love Being Here with You," and an intense rekindling of Marvin Gaye's movie soundtrack hit, "Trouble Man."

Also beautifully augmented by strings and highly complimented by critics is Jones' version of "Natural Woman." Writer C. Michael Bailey's review states: "If this song can be more soulful, then it is so." Comparably, The Ark of Music website states: "You've heard 'Natural Woman,' but not like this. The strings and arrangement lift the emotional impact by at least 500%, and Jones' vocals, harmonizing and accompanying, grant the song's empowering protagonist a strength and tenacity not felt on the already capable original."

Beyond acknowledgment as an emotive, engaging songwriter and stylist with multiple vocalist awards, a #7 ranking on Jazz Week's Top 50, and the International Jazz Association's prestigious Jazz Hero Award to her credit, Jones has proven to be more than a musician: she is a cultural force who has successfully intertwined jazz and community service.

With the desire to preserve the legacy of now-gentrified, musically historic communities, Eugenie Jones has served as Executive Producer of Seattle's Jackson Street Jazz Walk for seven years. She presents a stream of community concerts and educational pop-ups that honor music icons of the once vibrant African American Seattle Central District, where Ray Charles and high school jazz musicians Ernestine Anderson and Quincy Jones began their iconic musical journeys. Jones doubles the event's impact by using it to raise funds for non-profits that serve the needs of disadvantaged residents.

When it comes to her music, Jones describes her artistic journey: "Pursuing a music career is a Sisyphean act unlike any other I've taken on. But it brings unmatched joy and purpose to my life. So, with this release, here I stand, rolling that boulder up the hill again."

Pre-orders - CDs, USBs, and digital downloads - are available now at: https://eugeniejones.bandcamp.com/album/eugenie-2.
EUGENIE will be internationally available on all digital platforms on January 20, 2025.

Mark your calendars for January 20, 2025, when EUGENIE, Jones' most personal and ambitious project to date, will be available on all major streaming platforms, welcoming you to jazz you can feel.