Jean Synodinos

Thursday, 07 February 2008

Award-winning performing songwriter Jean Synodinos (that’s sin-uh-DEE-nus), of Austin, TX hopes to share the growing success of her latest CD, Breathe, by reminding everyone to put down their Blackberries and “take a few deep ones.” Hoping to encourage a slower pace, Jean is offering the CD’s title track as a free download for the world right now. Jean is widely-recognized for her capacity to pull from any number of musical genres, including jazz, blues, folk and pop. A fearless and exuberant performer, her voice has been hailed by critics as "big league" and "show stopping.” While Jean always features free downloads of her music online, this selection has evolved out of special requests. Says Jean, “I live in the town where Slacker was filmed, but you’d never know it now. We love our gadgets madly; they’re our new appendages and, increasingly, our masters. So now we’ve started wondering if we’ll ever be able to shut them off, tune out, even fall off the grid, just disappear. I’d never throw the baby out with the bathwater—I love my technology, too—but maybe the first step is to hush up and just breathe. I was really surprised to learn that it’s the men in my audiences who seem most drawn to this song. A little digging revealed that these are some of the most over-extended souls I’ve ever met. So this is for them—and for everyone who wishes they could just… stop.” The free download for Breathe’s title track is available through Jean’s website ( www.jeansynodinos.com ) and her MySpace page ( www.myspace.com/jeansynodinos ). The CD has already generated pockets of buzz in her adopted hometown and on the Internet. Local Texas critic John Conquest of Third Coast Music raved, “… there’s no mistaking that marvelous voice, but if that alone gives her a decided advantage in the massed ranks of Austin’s Girls with Guitars, she piles it on by writing songs that are extraordinarily inventive and distinctive… she writes poetry that can be sung.” Breathe was co-produced by Jean and her husband Charles Rieser (of Austin’s famed bands The Scabs and Boombox). It offers eleven tracks that groove hard musically and dig deep lyrically, moving from little ironies to big affirmations at the turn of a phrase. Breathe is the follow-up to Jean’s highly-acclaimed debut CD Lucky and features Charles Rieser on guitar, Brad Houser on bass (Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians), and Rob Hooper on drums (Guy Forsythe). Listeners can count on getting an answer to the mystical question, “what’s the sexiest word of all?”, enjoy the unexpected Led Zeppelin cover and learn to secret to survival—just keep breathing. For more information on Jean Synodinos visit www.jeansynodinos.com  or www.myspace.com/jeansynodinos . Praise for "BREATHE" (Fortunate Records) "There's no mistaking that marvelous voice, but if that alone gives her a decided advantage in the massed ranks of Austin’s Girls With Guitars, she piles it on by writing songs that are extraordinarily inventive and distinctive... she writes poetry that can be sung. " -- John Conquest, Third Coast Music "...[Lucky's] successor is an equal sigh of relief... shouldering a flirty sense of humor with substantial songwriting chops." -- Margaret Moser, The Austin Chronicle "Tiny gestures like the brush of a finger or side-glance can speak volumes, Jean Synodinos is adept at turning such gestures into philosophical songs that incorporate jazz with a tough blend of organic folk and blues rock." -- David Pyndus, Pop Culture Press "I love her sass, her wit, here boldness, her sexiness... 'Breathe' showcases her ability to make a song swing between Dorothy Parker’s wit and a well written short story. Synodinos definitely has breadth... and once again begs the question, “why is Jean Synodinos not a household name in the greater folk world?” All I can figure is the white boys in charge are damn intimidated by this great artist." -- Christy Claxton, Stave Magazine "Ms. Synodinos’ second album is another wonderfully insightful investigation of human nature in all it’s natural forms and manifestations; love pined for; lost; found again and reinvigorated. Her vocals are even more assured than on her previous album and her music gains in depth with added stylistic accretions of sound without sounding dilettantish. She incorporates elements of folk, jazz, rock, blues et al, in a seamless way that enhances the singer/songwriter genre in general and her own unique perspective in particular. Her last album had the best version of Ode To Billy Joe I had ever heard and she makes a strong case again by appropriating Houses of the Holy from Led Zeppelin, with an understated reading that digs beneath the surface of the lyric and gets to the heart of the matter, making the song her own and melding it into the middle of her own observations on life and love. -- John Hammel “Mozart to Motorhead” Internet DJ www.homegrownradionj.com “Folk-rock that is a great pick-me-up is a rare find in these days where melancholy seems to drip from the sky. Jean’s vocals are dynamic with a tasty amount of range. She’s gotten even better on this terrific follow-up [to Lucky]. It’s an album I’ll be pondering often since it has a new residency in my stereo.” -- J-Sin, www.smother.net “… there is something charismatic about Synodinos. There is a vulnerability in her voice that will attract even the casual listener. You have the feeling you are being sung to and not sung out like so many card carrying female acoustic guitar players out there.” -- William Alexander, www.enigma.com “If you have heard Jean’s last album, 'Lucky,' you will be blown away. This compilation is stronger lyrically and has a bolder sound. Her gorgeous raspy voice mixed with the beautifully well-written lyrics makes for a must-own CD.” -- Beth Bowers, www.celebritycafe.com  “Excellent tunes, great band… very fine disc!” -- John Ziegler, PD, KUMD, Duluth, MN “... there's nothing like that smoky voice with just a hint of grit like yeah, she's been there and done it and done it. And hot damn, those songs! There's nothing predictable about these tasty songs of love and regret with the occasional odd character, fueled with her rhythmic acoustic guitar and rootsy arrangements. It's not folk. Exactly. More like sultry alt-country, low on the twang please, with pop and jazz too.“ -- Jamie Anderson, www.minor7th.com "BREATHE is a captivating record. The reprise of the opening cut is worth the price of the entire album. The voice is perfect as expected, and who else would toss in a Led Zeppelin tune for good measure? We hear a rocky side to Synodinos as well as her jazz and folk side. All around, this is a major disc. Jean Synodinos is one of those performers that you just love to listen to, almost embarrassingly wanting to listen alone, almost like hiding away with a Nina Simone record. Great album hands down." -- Lucky Boyd, www.mytexasmusic.com     Biography: "One of Austin's true talents." -- Dave Obermann, KUT-FM, Austin, TX Jean Synodinos listens with amazement to the stories people tell her. Those curious single pearls of wisdom, or the full volumes of odd things that just happen to people proving truth is stranger than fiction. In Jean’s case, it’s things like: -- That humiliating defeat on a nationally-televised game show at the hands of a McDonald’s manager. -- Those 500 meals of baked ziti consumed in a 2 year span while in a hit off-Broadway show. -- The 6th grade teacher who suggested she never, ever sing. Turns out that teacher was just dead wrong. With a voice that’s been hailed as “big league” and “show-stopping,” award-winning songs and accomplished acoustic guitar work, Jean is always out to push the envelope a little bit more with each song and each show with energetic grace and enthusiasm. With songs that skate between genres, Jean jumps from rock to jazz to pop in order to find the right groove and tone for each song. Known for her dynamic performances, she lives to "read the room" and deliver shows that keep audiences returning for more. Following up on her acclaimed debut CD Lucky, Jean has just released Breathe. Picking up where Lucky left off, Breathe’s eleven tracks groove even harder musically and dig even deeper lyrically. The disc features thoroughbred performances by Charles Rieser on guitars (The Scabs, Boombox), Brad Houser on bass (Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians), and Rob Hooper on drums (Guy Forsythe, Colin Gilmore). Jean lives in Austin, TX with her husband, guitarist and producer Charles Rieser and their new puppy, Freida. A breast cancer survivor, Jean reminds women and men alike to become their own best advocates for their health care and that of those they love. Always kind to animals, she also gardens in spite of repeated failures. Music Promotion via MusicSubmit.com Webpage: http://www.myspace.com/jeansynodinos Location: Austin, TX, USA Description: Smart-sexy acoustic-pop for the big kids in the room. Deftly skating between pop, jazz, rock and blues, the award-winning writing digs deep lyrically, moving from big affirmations to little ironies at the turn of a phrase.

Last Updated ( Wednesday, 12 August 2009 )

 

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