It had been almost two years since Eilen Jewell graced a Tampa stage. Both shows were WMNF events and both were played to full houses. On Saturday, Jewell and her amazing band, including longtime guitarist/collaborator Jerry Miller, lit up Skipper's Smokehouse in a pulsing performance that preceded that of New Orleans quartet, The Iguanas. Though ostensibly the headlining act, Jewell took the early slot, and by 7:30 p.m., the house was already a standing-room-only affair. By the time Jewell, Miller, upright bass player Shawn Supra, and percussionist Jason Beek took the stage at 8:30, space on the sandy wood plank dance floor was in short supply.
She'd only arrived to the venue a few minutes before 8 p.m., but this proved no problem a veteran songstress who's played all over the world. "When I put my cowgirl boots on, I'm immediately ready for a show," Jewell said later. "It's a transformation."
As the mild-mannered Jewell stepped out onto the stage, her alter-ego took over and The Queen of the Minor Key stepped into place, launching into the first track off her new album Sun Down Over Ghost Town. "Worried Mind" opens with the line, "Been all around the world, just to come back to you," and it almost seemed as if she was speaking personally to the crowd, drawing us in with her sweet yet sultry and seductive intones while Miller rolled up and down the neck of his Gibson, adding his part to the fusion of Western swing and rockabilly that's so emblematic of Jewell's music.
Jewell culled from the majority of her rather impressive catalog. "Where They Never Say Your Name" off 2007's Letters from Sinners and Strangers hit slower tempos with its hypnotic soulful-bluesy mix while her so-called "honky tonk song" off the same album, "Heartache Boulevard," picked up the pace a bit and "High Shelf Booze" found her vocal chops on full display, a vocal roller coaster of crescendos and decrescendos driving toward the song's conclusion. From the 2011 LP Queen of the Minor Key, she delivered her treatise on Cupid, "Bang Bang Bang," which offers a humorous look at the reality of the little love-inducing cherub and how indiscriminate he can oftentimes be, while another selection off that LP, "Santa Fe," is a narrative that takes you on a journey of clarity and metaphor, and really showcases the way Jewell sings through her facial mask (nasal and sinuses) akin to a Sarah McLaughlin or even the late, great Robert Nesta Marley, the vibrational harmonies reaching deep into your bones.
You almost expect a Conway Twitty to step up to a mic and offer backup vocals in the classic country-influenced "Why I'm Walking" off this year's Live at the Narrows; her rendition of "Fist City" off her 2010 Loretta Lynn tribute album found Jewell shedding her guitar and loosening up her gesticulation as she dipped back into the classic country vibe; and she even touched on 2009 breakout, Sea of Tears, with "Rain Roll In," though not before commenting on Florida's pressing humidity and how she was definitely not used to it being an Idaho native. "Nobody's used to it," someone shouted out from the crowd, and Jewell chuckled as she led into the song and a cool breeze descended on the Skipperdome for just a moment.
Fresh album Sun Down Over Ghost Town got plenty of more play, too; "Rio Grande" dips so far south and west it's almost Sonoran in flavor — you can imagine it being on the soundtrack to a Quentin Tarantino film — while "Halleluyah Band" found her showing off her gospel roots; Jewell got her start with Boston gospel group the Sacred Shakers and it's still very much a part of her music. The song itself, however, is more about "growing up in Idaho and having this sense of longing as a kid to want to get out and sing to the wide world."
Jewell's in-between song banter was so sweet and honest, she needed no bombast or shouting to cajole the crowd; they hung on her every word, eager to hear what the petite songstress had in store. With hair matted to neck and shoulders (the humidity making it "do things it's never done before"), and sweat beading on her forehead, Jewell rallied for the final push, launching into another new cut, "Down the Road." She gave a shout-out to the Iguanas and WMNF for putting on the show before performing "If You Catch Me Stealing" off Letters from Sinners and Strangers, tweaking the lyrics a bit for her Florida audience and giving her bandmates a final chance to shine as Miller went around-the-neck and palm-down with his sliding guitar riffs and Spura ripped an amazingly entertaining upright bass solo.
"It feels great to be so warmly received - excuse the pun - here," Jewell said. "I always look forward to playing here, this is one of our favorite places in the country to play." After playing 21 songs, she extended a heart-felt thank you and with a bow, left the stage, though the crowd wasn't quite done with her yet, and she returned with an encore that seemed more than apropos —"Queen of the Minor Key," leaving us all feeling a sense of deep satisfaction.
New Orleans outfit The Iguanas followed, frontman Rod Hodges playing an accordion like electric guitar (later traded for the real thing) amid sounds that fused soiree-like NOLA rhythms with a jumpy roots-rock and slick Chicano vibe. Half their lyrics are delivered in Spanish and musician Joe Cabral's instrumentals on 12-string bajo sexto adds further lushness to their unique sounds. Overall, the Iguanas were tight, entertaining and proved to be an excellent choice to close out the evening.