Ellen McIlwaine CD's

Up From The Skies - The Polydor Years: Despite the fact that she is covering a lot of other artists work, Ellen McIlwaine sounds incredibly original. 

The selection is a mixed bag of rock, folk, blues and celtic with great lyrics and her dead-on vocals. The first half a dozen tracks are live, but they are extremely well recorded.

There are no grating strings on this CD - just good, honest, earthy and technically excellent playing.  Her beautiful yet powerful vocals coupled with her versatile guitar playing is just a pleasure to listen to.

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Spontaneous Combustion: 
Ellen McIlwaine is an amazing guitarist, and a powerful singer, with her own vision. She has had a fine rich career which has provided contemporary blues fans with a wealth of outstanding recordings. 

Spontaneous Combustion continues the tradition, and takes McIlwaine into previously unexplored territory!  The rhythm section for the whole album is Kester Smith on drums and bassist Bill Rich. They are solid and funky and lay a concrete foundation under McIlwaine's stunning guitar work.

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The Real Ellen McIlwaine - Everybody Needs It:  Yes, everybody does need this CD!  Ellen McIlwaine has produced a collection of extraordinary albums (now CD's) that run the gamut from folk to blues to world music (having been raised in various parts of the world).

This CD brings together the work of two albums, one early and folk, with a tinge of the blues, and the other a later louder explosion of womanhood (The Real Ellen McIlwaine 1975  with various members of Ville Emard Blues Band, and Everybody Needs It 1982 with Jack Bruce on bass, Paul Wertico on drums, & Howard Levy on piano.

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Women in (E)motion:  On her first live album McIlwaine plays in a talent rich power trio in front of a small, enthusiastic audience in Bremen, Germany. Despite divergent sounds the trio fits together wonderfully, creating a loose, freewheeling sound that, combined with McIlwaine's sense of playfulness, is a thrill to hear. And it ROCKS. Add to this McIlwaine's unique arrangements and the set is one of a kind.

For over thirty years, Ellen McIlwaine has been flying well below the radar of rock criticism, creating eclectic, idiosyncratic, occasionally challenging, frequently brilliant music despite the lack of a mass audience.

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Ellen McIlwaine, vocal, guitar, and keyboard.
Kit Johnson, bass.  Bohdan Hluszko, drums.  Quammie Williams, percussion. Eugene Smith, vocal on Side 2: 5. Doug Wilde, Emmulator II and Akai Sampler Matt Zimbel, congas and talking drum on Side 2: 3.  The Association of Gospel Music Ministries: Sharon Brown, Lisa Brown, Steve Easton, Karen Brown, Susan Brown, background vocals on Side 2: 5

National Public Radio Top 20 & Toronto Star Top 10

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