An echo can soothe, and an echo can haunt. In Roman myth, Echo is the beautiful nymph with the musical voice forever calling after a boy in love. Critically-acclaimed Jazz vocalist/Singer-Songwriter Alyssa Graham's new CD, the aptly-titled Echo, is a musical travelogue that traces the arc of a modern-day love affair and infuses it with a mélange of Jazz, Folk and Brazilian rhythms, bound together by the unforgettable timbre of Graham's extraordinary voice. Its eleven tracks reveal musical influences from around the globe, all while maintaining the thematic feel of a deeply personal, well-told and eternal love story. With seven original compositions, four classic songs round out the album, including a delicately yearning version of Paul Simon's "America" that speaks to journeys closer to home. Echo was produced by Jon Cowherd ( The Brian Blade Fellowship, Lizz Wright) and was released July 29th on Sunnyside Records.

A recent Critics' Choice CD selection in the New York Times which hails Graham as "The right voice... a sumptuous and flexible croon" , praise for Echo has been unanimously supportive with JazzTimes applauding the CD as "Stunning... one of those rare hybrids whose jazz, pop and folk-rock roots, when entwined, equal far more than the sum of their parts." the Washington Post proclaiming, "The honey-voiced chanteuse... smokes!" and The New Yorker exclaiming "Lovely and haunting." Alyssa began laying the foundations for Echo in January of 2006. It was more than a two year-long process, influenced by Alyssa's travels throughout Brazil, India, Africa and Europe, as well as her long-time love affair with guitarist and lyricist Douglas Graham. "Echo is like a fairy tale," says Alyssa, "It reveals the different complexities of an alluring lover, equally at home with flirtation and passion and knowing the precise distance between the two. A love story that is true and rare. Doug and I have been together since we were kids and this record is a tribute to our unique love story and to many of the places we have traveled together - emotionally and geographically."

From a love song written in the aftermath of an argument and the pull of honeyed love that almost conceals a fear of loss ("Butterflies") to a song about escaping the world together ("Pictures of You") to the Latin surrealism of the title song (inspired by the last five minutes of the classic Italian film "La Notte") Echo is a mythical blend of magical originals and familiar melodies filled with the musical unexpected. But one of the most notable tracks on the album has to be "Involved Again," a tune that might have become one of Billie Holiday's greatest hits had the jazz legend lived to record it. When Holiday passed away in 1959, "Involved Again" was slated for release on her next album. Saddened at the loss of the singer and her extraordinary voice, the tune's composer, Jack Reardon ("The Good Life"), shelved it and moved on, certain that no one "could do it justice afterward." Nearly 50 years later, though, Reardon heard a voice so sweet, so sensuous, that he knew the song could finally come to life the way he had once envisioned it. That voice belonged to Alyssa Graham. This unheard musical gem was recorded by Alyssa and Jon Cowherd and is a song integral to the mood and sultry stylization of Echo.

Featured on Echo are renowned players Romero Lubambo on guitar, Jeff Haynes on percussion, Jon Cowherd on piano, French horn and organ, Doug Weiss on bass, Obed Calvaire on drums, Douglas Graham on guitar, Sachi Patitucci on cello, Lawrence Dutton on viola, Laura Seaton and Elizabeth Lim Dutton on violin, and Gregoire Maret on chromatic harmonica.

Alyssa's creative resolve, passion for storytelling and vocal eloquence are the products of her enduring artistic exposure. Growing-up just outside of New York City, Alyssa's father took his daughter to see many of the musical greats as a child - Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Nancy Wilson, The Temptations, Neil Young, Bob Dylan - and after studying piano, saxophone and guitar, Alyssa attended both Ithaca College and The New England Conservatory of Music where she studied Jazz Voice and Contemporary Improvisation. After music school Alyssa went on to develop her unique artistic style, playing on her fresh, breezy phrases and lilting Brazilian rhythms that hypnotize the senses.

In 2005, Alyssa launched her solo career with her critically-lauded debut CD, What Love Is, chosen by All About Jazz as one of the "Best New Recordings of 2005" and JazzIz's Annual "Women In Jazz" issue. The All Music Guide recently bestowed 3.5 stars on Echo saying, "Graham conveys powerful emotions and silky charm... and makes us all realize, thankfully, that the spirit of innovative legendary vocalists like Lady Day is a alive and well in new artists like Alyssa Graham."

In the words of Jazz.com Alyssa sings with "total honesty and directness...She's not a star yet but just wait and see."

For additional information and media requests, please contact Alisse Kingsley at Muse Media, 323-467-8508, e: AlissetheMuse@aol.com.

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