THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

Eliza's music has always reflected her vivid vision of the world around her, full of joys and sorrows. The songs on Roses at the End of Time are no exception, each one a window into a life of struggle and triumph in a world she feels is "poised on the edge of moral, economic and environmental bankruptcy."

Whether belting out a soulful number or beautifully musing on the world's woes, the new album is rich with emotion. The title track is an achingly vulnerable love song, while "Belle of the Ball" is a collection of fragmented memories of her mother. Ranging from the deeply personal to the universal, the songs speak to today's important issues. Her border-crossing corrido "Vayan al Norte" has already been likened to a modern-day version of Woody Guthrie's "Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)" while "Once I Had a Home" provides a melancholy reflection on the Middle East that taps into all humankind's longing for home.

Roses at the End of Time expands Eliza's considerable repertoire of socio-political commentary. "These days, political commentary is not limited to traditional folk music," she says. "Radical 'folk music' is coming out in every genre of music. The mold is being broken, and it's a great time to experiment with ways to get meaningful perspectives across to a receptive public."

Always making her political songs accessible, Eliza crafts music rich with poetry and catchy melodies. Produced by her son Cisco Ryder, the album mixes a variety of musical styles, featuring many radio-friendly tracks like the up-tempo pop tune "Looking for a Place," the moody ballad "Blue Moon Night," and "Slouching Towards Bethlehem," her newest political anthem that evokes the blues of Beale Street. Not straying too far from her folk roots, she gets down-home with the banjo-driven Americana cover of her brother Tony Gilkyson's song "Death in Arkansas," which features guest vocals by fellow Red House artists John Gorka and Lucy Kaplansky (who recorded with Eliza on the 2010 hit release Red Horse).

Whether telling Tony's Wendell Berry-like tale or singing songs of her own personal struggles, Eliza speaks to the need for empathy in a world of inequality and suffering. Like the great songwriter Townes Van Zandt that she references in "Midnight on Raton," Eliza makes even her own stories a part of the bigger human experience, creating a new album that speaks to us all.

For more about Eliza Gilkyson and to set up an interview, contact Ellen Stanley at (651) 644-4161 or promotions@redhouserecords.com .