Elena Powell: Press

"Alta Nova" might be translated as "the New High" , and the title certainly rings true. With its smart, organic pop sound, Elena's third full-length CD is easily her most exciting, well-crafted and fully realized, and was produced by Jeffrey Clark (Shiva Burlesque) and mixed by Oz Fritz (Tom Waits, Las Pesadillas). It's not a "retro" album, but unexpected cross-currents of impeccable influences like The Kinks, Joni Mitchell, Harry Nillson, and XTC consistently help make each of the 11songs on "Alta Nova" a distinctive pop gem.
The strength and vulnerability of the Nevada City, CA based singer/songwriter's voice and lyrics hold center stage on the album, but Elena's electric violin magic ups the ante on two instrumentals.

Classics graduate Elena Powell (B.A. 1990) has moved from the ancient world to the entertainment world. After completing her degree she received the Lionel Pearson scholarship for study at King’s College Cambridge and followed that with an M.A. from UCLA. During her time there she produced a short film of “Antigone.” Following the beat of a different drummer, Elena went on to pursue a career in music. Since 1999 she has toured and released four cds (www.elenapowell.com for tour dates and downloads). She currently lives in Nevada City CA and with her husband owns a small art-house cinema.