Celia Chavez

Celia Chavez's songs evoke a fusion of the moody, earthy beauty of her native Seattle with the cool, modern rhythm of her surroundings in New York and Los Angeles, where she now splits her time. After years as a session singer and performer-for-hire, Celia is now promoting her original music both as a solo singer/songwriter and with her 4-piece band.

The Seattle Times called Celia "One of Seattle's most tantalizing new voices." Her vocal style leans toward the bluesy, intimate expression typical of singers like Billie Holiday, Dusty Springfield, or Ella Fitzgerald. While at home singing a ballad, Celia can bring on her own brand of sass, as seen in “Vegas". And a touch of bittersweet Americana soul creeps into songs like "Call Me from the Road".

Her songwriting uses cinematic exposition and wit with a melodic, harmonic, and lyric vocabulary reminiscent of vintage pop songs or American songbook standards. While the sentiments are romantic and the arrangements acoustic and minimal, her songs carry an intense contemporary timelessness - standards for a modern era, delivered in a vibrant, assertive new voice.

Celia’s vocal was recently featured on the recent remake of Jeff Buckley’s song, “Last Goodbye” by Robin Danar. “Last Goodbye” was in the top 20 songs on Los Angeles radio station KCRW’s show, “Morning Becomes Eclectic” in Nov. 2008. As a backup singer, Celia toured with P!nk and has performed with Julia Fordham, Burning Spear and Tina Sugandh, among others. She also appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno in Lili Haydn’s band.

On her debut recording, "Sailor's Daughter":

This stunning debut from peripatetic singer/songwriter Celia Chavez brings to mind Duke Ellington's famous dictum, "There are only two kinds of music: good and bad." "Sailor's Daughter" is not just good; it is superbly and triumphantly unclassifiable. 

Drawing from a wide range of influences, Chavez's compositions set flavorful melodies to accessible, sophisticated harmonies and varied rhythms and timbres. Her lyrics are intelligent, thoughtful, and free of cliché or pretension. Chavez also has a knack for production and pacing, coaxing superb, concise performances out of her band and adding sounds and effects to the mix with a sure hand. But her voice alone (a sultry, textured instrument) would command attention: her reworking of "Moon River" spotlights her mastery of phrasing and mood as well as her imagination and taste.

There is not a glib or shallow moment anywhere on "Sailor's Daughter," which sounds nothing like a first album. It is the work of an artist who knows exactly what she wants to say and how to say it, and could have been made by no one else. Any fan of intelligent, female-fronted popular music will find the "Sailor's Daughter" an enchanting companion.

 - Andy Bassford, freelance music critic

This album is equally appropriate to be listened to with your morning coffee as well as a late-night glass of heady red wine. The songwriting, singing and musicianship are all outstanding!

- L.J. Murphy, singer/songwriter

Celia Chavez is a truly attentive artist who colors the map of her imagination with nods to many musical styles. Her songwriting is irresistible…each song is its own wave of emotion.

- Elizabeth Murphy, indie filmmaker/photographer