Chelsea Lee - debut album '18 and Alive' streaming on AOL + tour dates

Chelsea Lee's debut album 18 and Alive (Rockwood/Ryko) is out now!

The album is currently streaming in its entirety at AOL (stream link below). Lee will perform a handful of shows along the East Coast in the coming weeks.

The 12-song set features collaborations with writer/producer Chris Keup (O.A.R., Jason Mraz, Josh Kelley), Stewart Myers (Rachel Yamagata), renowned producer Martin Terefe (Jason Mraz, Brett Dennen), and Parachute frontman Will Anderson, among others.

Mixed by Mikal Blue (Colbie Caillat), the album features duets with Jason Reeves, and background vocals from Sissy Spacek and her daughter Schuyler Fisk.

Says Chelsea Lee, "Recording my first album was a journey that took me to Nashville, New York, LA, and London. To have found such amazing creative partners along the way made all the difference."

Early support comes from Billboard, who asserts, "Armed with an alarmingly pure voice, down-to-earth charm, and a songwriting maturity that's rare for her age, Lee appears to have the entire package," and The Washington Post, who proclaims "Lee is that rare local talent perched on the brink of bigger things...her gift is a voice that defies description."

In the last year, MTV's "The City" featured two songs from the album ("Long Way Down" and "Figure Us Out"), and she has shared the stage with the likes of Rosanne Cash, Matt Cohn, Pat Benatar, Trevor Hall and more.

At 14, the Washington, D.C. native started performing at local clubs, including Jammin' Java, where she quickly got the attention of co-owner Daniel Brindley, who was so taken with Lee's voice that he talked her parents into letting him work with her.

With Brindley's help, Lee began touring up and down the East Coast, including a gig at New York City's Rockwood Music Hall.

Club owner Ken Rockwood says he sees "thousands of acts" a year and rarely sends word about any of them to a major record label. But when he heard Chelsea Lee, "she was amazing," he says. "Such a beautifully mature voice for such a young girl."

Rockwood called Leslie Dweck, head of A&R at the Rockwood imprint on Atlantic Records and together they spent two years nurturing and developing the young artist. From there, taking her to Ryko, Atlantic's "sister" label within Warner Music Group, with their storied history of artist development, was the logical next step in readying the album for release.

Ruby Marchand, Ryko's Head of A&R, states, "Ryko was a natural fit with Atlantic's and Rockwood's plan to nurture Chelsea's development. In our indie environment, Chelsea can grow her career as a recording artist and touring performer at a comfortable pace. She's surrounded by the goodwill and resources of a team that's helping her build a core community."

Chelsea Lee November 2011 tour dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

11/16/11 - Club Passim - Boston, MA
11/17/11 - Skinny Pancake - Burlington, VT
11/20/11 - Tin Angel - Philadelphia, PA
11/21/11 - Rockwood Music Hall - New York, NY
11/09/11 - Burlap & Bean - Newton Square, PA
11/10/11 - Midtown Scholar Bookstore - Harrisburg, PA
11/14/11 - Jammin' Java - Vienna, VA
11/15/11 - NightCat - Easton, MD

18 and Alive TRACKLISTING:

1. Never Called It Love
2. Perfectly
3. I Can Feel It
4. All I'm Looking For
5. Look In The Mirror
6. Open Arms
7. You Got Me
8. Figure Us Out
9. Fly Me Home
10. Long Way Down
11. Be Careful With My Heart
12. 18 and Alive

Currently you can stream: 18 and Alive on AOL

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