Eliza Gilkyson, one of the most original and well-respected singer-songwriters in the music business today, was born in Hollywood, CA. You may have heard of her father, Terry Gilkyson, the folk-pop singer/songwriter who is perhaps best known for his songs “Greenfields” and “The Bare Necessities” from Disney’s “The Jungle Book,” which earned him an Academy Award nomination. Eliza and her sister Nancy sang with their father on other Disney movies. The family tradition continues since Eliza’s son, Cisco, is now in her backup band and her daughter Delia has also sung on her records.

At the end of the 1960s, Eliza moved to New Mexico with likeminded souls, eventually raising a family, all the while developing a loyal fan base in the Southwest and Texas. After a period in Europe working with Swiss composer/harpist Andreas Vollenweider, Eliza returned to the United States, released “Through the Looking Glass” in 1996 and “Redemption Road” in 1997. She started her own label, Realiza Records, and put out “Misfits” in 1999, a collection of outtakes that received favorable press as a sound that connected the worlds of folk and modern storytelling.

In 2000, Eliza released “Hard Times in Babylon,” her first album on the Red House Records label. The album was a critical success, followed by “Lost and Found” in 2002. She has also been on several compilations issued by Red House, including a Bob Dylan tribute album, “A Nod to Bob,” and a Greg Brown tribute called “Going Driftless,” benefiting a breast cancer research group. In 2003 she was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame, alongside such luminaries as Willie Nelson, Townes Van Zandt, and Nancy Griffith. Eliza released “Land of Milk and Honey” in 2004, a decidedly more sociopolitical record that was nominated for a Grammy as Best Contemporary Folk Album. “‘Milk and Honey’ is a must-have album for anyone turned on by intimate, seductive vocals, killer melodies and lyrics that hit the heart and refuse to leave. Cue the repeat button,” proclaimed BBC Radio.

Eliza’s most recent CD is “Paradise Hotel,” which has already made DJ Top Ten lists all over the US and Europe. Some songs on the album address our current state of affairs, such as “Man of God,” her new chapter on the machinations of our “fearless leader,” featuring a rousing chorus of Austin chanteurs, including Shawn Colvin, Slaid Cleaves, Ana Egge, Marcia Ball, Ray Wylie Hubbard and more. “Jedediah” is an intriguing story based on the actual correspondence of her ancestral uncle, General Jedediah Huntington, who fought alongside George Washington in the American Revolution. There is also a cover of the great World Party song, “Is It Like Today?” and a honky-tonk duet with Shawn Colvin on “Calm Before the Storm.” Eliza provides some balance with lighter fare such as the radio-friendly “Borderline” and the romantic “Think About You.” Eliza’s work the last few years is considered her best ever and “Paradise Hotel” continues that tradition, a product of her strong ties with producer Mark Hallman and the solid support of her label, Red House Records.

 

 

An exquisite weaver of story-songs that strike at the heart of personal experience . . . No Depression

This new offering in her contemporarily flawless oeuvre is tender and cathartic to the point of jubilation, brimming with radio-polished tunes and exquisite traditional folk. Austin Chronicle **** (4 stars)