R&B – Page 7 – 7th Level Music

Rituals of Mine scores on her new single – “Free Throw.”

Rituals of Mine – the immersive, hybrid R&B electronic project of Los Angeles-based songwriter Terra Lopez – will release her new album, HYPE NOSTALGIA, on September 25th via Carpark Records. Today, she shares the new single/video “Free Throw (feat. KRIS),” which follows lead single “Come Around Me.” Through the dark pop and noisey beat of “Free Throw,” Lopez urges equality for BIPOC artists in the music industry. Lopez and KRIS (King Woman, Miserable, NGHTCRWLR) recorded the song in the studio last summer with Wes Jones. The accompanying video, animated by AvaantGarbDesign, is futuristic and matches the track’s noir tone.

“Kris and I talk a lot about our experiences being women of color in the music industry and how time and time again, we’ve been fucked over by either white women musicians or white guys and that shit takes a toll on you,” elaborates Lopez. “It takes a toll on your mental health, your confidence, your perseverance. It also limits your access to opportunities within the industry in a very real way. We wanted to address how we were feeling and have been feeling for years in ‘Free Throw’ by airing it all out, putting it all out there because at this point this needs to be addressed. These disparities within the industry have to be examined and ultimately broken down. Kris and I want to help change the industry and music is just going to be one of the ways in which we shed light on issues. We have a lot of things in the works to help even the playing field when it comes to BIPOC artists. ‘Free Throw’ is just the introduction to that.“

Watch “Free Throw” Video:
https://found.ee/Z4h5

HYPE NOSTALGIA follows 2019’s SLEEPER HOLD EP, which was filled with emotional intensity and self-reflective songwriting, confronting the emotional rollercoaster that came with the death of her father and later, her best friend.

On HYPE NOSTALGIA, Lopez didn’t want to solely focus on the heaviness of her life. Instead, she opted to create an album written from a pre-loss perspective. There are dark moments and devastation throughout, but what largely transpires is Lopez’s ability to reconcile with her emotional trauma by reimagining her past in a way that isn’t shrouded in total darkness, but glimmers of light and hope.

Between St. Augustine, Florida and Los Angeles, Lopez collaborated with producers Wes Jones and Dev the Goon on HYPE NOSTALGIA. The result is a self-assured 13-track album interspersed with future R&B, electronic and pop, and layered with the softness of Lopez’s ethereal vocals. From tackling what it’s like to be a woman of color in the music industry to exploring intergenerational trauma, HYPE NOSTALGIA is an all-encompassing look at Lopez’s personal growth and resilience.

With HYPE NOSTALGIA, Lopez offers a glimpse into her own experience in the hopes that it will open the door for listeners to confront their own mental health challenges and serve as a touchstone as they find their own way to process and heal.

Watch “Come Around Me” Video:
https://found.ee/Z6XU

Pre-order HYPE NOSTALGIA:
https://found.ee/uEkw

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[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Naeem covers Silver Apples’ “Little Things.”

37d03d is pleased to announce new signing, Baltimore-born/Los Angeles-based artist Naeem (full name Naeem Juwan), alongside new single: a gorgeous cover of the Silver Apples classic, “You and I”. Restlessly creative in his artistic pursuit, Naeem creates impressionistic, genre-bending music. Having spent much of the last decade stretching his creative legs in a variety of ways, he’s hit the road with artists ranging from The Avalanches and Bon Iver to Big Red Machine and Mouse on Mars, took part in a 37d03d residency in Berlin, and was selected as the music resident in 2019 for New York’s Pioneer Works space. Through it all, he’s been building and creating, pulling from creative circles all across the U.S. to craft a truly unique sound of his own.

Reinterpreted for today’s fraught times, Naeem’s cover of “You and I” is deeply textured, emotional, and daring. “It sounds like a James Brown song to me,” says Naeem, “but if he sang it, he’d sing it as a slow song, and then I imagined myself crooning it. It’s an important song for people to hear right now, especially in terms of the ideas of self-care and the attention economy. The song’s about how we don’t have time for the little things, which feels really heavy and makes so much sense right now.”

Listen To Naeem’s “You and I” –
http://lnk.to/You_and_I

Expect to hear more new music and news from Naeem in the coming weeks.

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[Thanks to Pitch Perfect PR!]

Hala announces new album, “Red Herring,” due May 1st.

Hala, the project of Detroit-based musician Ian Ruhala, announces his new album, Red Herring, out May 1st on Cinematic Music Group, and a North American tour. Today, he shares the lead single, “Emotional R&B,” and an accompanying video. Ruhala’s music is at once precise and playful, skipping breezily between decades and their musical aesthetics while executing them with care and sincerity. On Red Herring, which is his studio debut, he elevates this formula, applying his genre-agnostic blueprint to a set of songs that comprise a no-concept concept record. It’s a varied album which explores the tragedy and comedy—often, both at once—that color and confound the modern 22-year-old’s existence.

To execute his wide-lens vision, Ruhala worked with producer Ryan Hadlock (The Lumineers, Vance Joy, Ra Ra Riot) at his legendary secluded Bear Creek Studio in Woodinville, Washington. Over a few months in late 2019, Ruhala and Hadlock sifted through a stockpile of prepared demos and assembled the 12 songs that comprise Red Herring. Apart from strings—played respectively by Andrew Joslyn and longtime Brandi Carlile-collaborator Josh Neumann—Ruhala wrote and performed each instrument on the record, including guitar, piano, bass, drums, baritone ukulele, xylophone, vibraphone, and all vocals.

Ruhala’s singular operating style is a credit to Red Herring’s simultaneous idiosyncrasy and unity: each track bears the earmarks of his tendencies for saccharine melodies, clear instrumentation, and a sort of ethereal, out-of-time placelessness—and yet each could also be from a different artist.

Lead single “Emotional R&B” showcases this infatuation with kaleidoscopic tonalities and narrative double-entendres. The track is about the early stage people go through in relationships, when things begin to become more intimate. “Things feel a lot more cinematic, maybe because these moments of a relationship are portrayed and documented in countless Romantic Comedies,” says Ruhala. “It’s the feeling of riding a romantic high, perhaps turning a blind eye to things that would normally set you off in pursuit of what could possibly become a substantial, long lasting relationship.”

Red Herring is a coming-of-age record from an artist recognizing that cohesiveness need not only be expressed in structural sameness. It can and should be found in other experiences, in the complex, poignant, life-and-death fleetingness of a three-and-a-half-minute pop song. Or better yet, 12 of them back-to-back.

Hala will tour across North America in support of Red Herring. A full list of dates is below.
Watch “Emotional R&B” Video:
https://youtu.be/bHHHbpQnd-4

Pre-order/pre-save Red Herring:
https://hala.ffm.to/redherring

Red HerringTracklist:
1. Turn Out Right
2. Making Me Nervous
3. Somehow
4. Camera5. Why Do You Want Anything To Do With Me?
6. We Can Start Again
7. Emotional R&B
8. Lies
9. Nobody-Body Knows
10. With You Now (It’s The Only Place I Want To Be)
11. Red Herring
12. True Colors

Hala Tour Dates:
Fri. May 8 – Detroit, MI @ Deluxx Fluxx- (Record Release Show) %
Sat. May 9 – Columbus, OH @ The Basement %
Sun. May 10 – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd %
Tue. May 12 – Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade %
Wed. May 13 – Philadelphia, PA @ Creep Records %
Thu. May 14 – Boston, MA @ Once Ballroom %
Fri. May 15 – Montreal, QC @ L’Esco %
Sat. May 16 – Toronto, ON @ The Drake Hotel %
Thu. May 28 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas *
Fri. May 29 – Milwaukee, WI @ The BackRoom at Colectivo Coffee *
Sat. May 30 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry *
Tue. June 2 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza *
Wed. June 3 – Portland, OR @ Lola’s Room *
Fri. June 5 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill *Sat. June 6 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo *
Sun. June 7 – San Diego, CA @ Che Cafe *
Wed. June 10 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge *
Fri. June 12 – Kansas City, MO @ recordBar *
Sat. June 13 – St. Louis, MO @ Blueberry Hill Duck Room *

^ with Miloe
% with PONY
* with BOYO

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Review: Khruangbin & Leon Bridges – Texas Sun

Psychedelic jazz rockers Khruangbin and soul crooner Leon Bridges have come together to create a lovely four-song EP called Texas Sun. It’s a tribute to their home state and the reduction of the self that can happen if you spend a lot of time in the American southwest.

The title track opens the EP and begins with country acoustic guitar before Mark Speer‘s distinctive guitar sound comes in as a perfect match with Bridges’ vocals about driving along warm Texas highways at dusk. Speer puts down some romantic charm on “Midnight,” so much so that I wouldn’t be surprised if the track has scored him a hundred dates by now. Plus, Laura Lee‘s bass groove on it is as seductive as the devil.

Speaking of grooves, the one cooked up by Ms. Lee and drummer Donald Johnson on “C-Side” is so slick that you should probably put a “Caution: Slippery Floor” sign in your living room when you play it. The EP ends with “Conversion,” which brings in some gospel touches to Bridges’ vocals about finding freedom in love.

This EP is a steal at a mere four bucks and a nice way to relax for a little while as you deal with the last days of winter.

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Top 20 singles of 2019: #’s 20 – 16

As always, there are a lot of good singles out there every year and picking just twenty to highlight is difficult, but here goes.

#20 – Andre Bratten – “HS”

Good heavens, the opening bass on this cut from Pax Americana is alone worth the purchase price. It’s one of the hottest house music singles I’ve heard in years.

#19 – BODEGA – “Shiny New Model”

“You will be replaced by a shiny new model” is the first lyric in this sharp single, and on the album of the same name, by these NYC post-punkers who remind us that not only are we replaceable, but we often encourage others to forget us and don’t even realize we’re doing it.

#18 – Durand Jones and the Indications – “Morning in America”

Speaking of songs that throw a heavy punch at modern times, this soul cut is beautiful and brutal. “It’s morning in America, but I can’t see the dawn” might be the hardest-hitting lyric of the year on the most soulful record of the year.

#17 – CHAI – “Fashionista”

It’s difficult to pick a favorite part of this post-punk jam from Japan. Is it the fun vocals? The fat bass? The sizzling high hat? The message to be yourself and not care what others think of you? It’s probably all of it.

#16 – L7 – “Stadium West”

This song was a triumphant return for L7, who blessed us all with their first new album in 20 years – Scatter the Rats. The track is a solid rocker that keeps their snark and shreds.

Who’s in the top 15? Come back later today to learn!

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Durand Jones and the Indications go “Cruisin’ to the Park” with their smooth new single.

“…unimpeachable, dripping in decadent four-part harmonies.” — Rolling Stone

“…immaculate and eternal soul.” — The Guardian (5/5 Stars)

“It’s reverent soul and never comes close to being just a pastiche of a bygone era.” — Noisey

Today, Durand Jones & The Indications release a video for their new standalone single, “Cruisin’ To The Park.” The song follows their “romantic, political, honest and idealistic” (Paste) sophomore album, American Love Call, released earlier this year via Dead Oceans/ColemineRecords. “Cruisin’ To The Park” is lush with harmonizing vocals, lilting guitar, and steady-going percussion. The video presents a celebration of lowrider car culture, which the band was introduced to through their fans:

“We put together our first record in our basement, messing around with different styles of soul music. But it was our sweet-soul tunes that got an overwhelming response from people who introduced us to the world of Chicano soul and lowrider car culture. We’ve gotten so much support from lowriders who love bumping our music in their cars, so we wanted to record a song in celebration of those people who enjoy cruising with friends and loved ones in ranflas across the world.”

The video was directed by Jude Gonzalez. “‘Cruisin’ to the Park” to me shows hard work, dedication and family,” says Gonzalez. “Working with the band and bringing our ideas together helped me bring the lyrics to life. Knowing the lowrider community and being able to bring them together was pretty straight-forward, as they were familiar with the band and the music and they were eager to be apart of a band they love.”

“Morning in America b/w Cruisin’ to the Park” limited edition gold vinyl 7″ will be released October 18th and is available to preorder now on Colemine Records.

The Indications will bring their famed live show, full of “old-school soul with a new-school honesty” (NPR’s All Things Considered), to the West Coast next month. Additionally, they will tour across Europe later this year. All dates can be found below.

“Cruisin’ To The Park” video –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPLhTzq-TpY

Pre-order “Morning in America b/w Cruisin’ to the Park” limited edition gold vinyl 7″ –
https://ffm.to/cruisintothepark

Watch/Listen/Share:
“Don’t You Know” on Jimmy Kimmel Live stream – https://youtu.be/22vgoQQSaCo
“Long Way Home” live on CBS This Morning: Saturday – https://youtu.be/8QB4Vn9wKLM
“Don’t You Know” live on CBS This Morning: Saturday – https://youtu.be/wm8yPmT2sAc
“Morning In America” live on CBS This Morning: Saturday – https://youtu.be/xpL8tojZNs8
“Long Way Home” video – https://youtu.be/8FjpDuL9CWY
“Long Way Home” stream – https://youtu.be/o0P1dkvNSMI
“Morning In America” video – https://youtu.be/JOkxt4Hf8bw
“Don’t You Know” video – https://youtu.be/A9rDPXoGSDg

Durand Jones & The Indications’ Tour Dates:
Sun. Sept. 15 – Telluride, CO @ Telluride Town Park
Tue. Sept. 17 – Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole
Wed. Sept. 18 – Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern
Thu. Sept. 19 – San Luis Obispo, CA @ Fremont Theater
Fri. Sept. 20 – Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy & Harriet’s – SOLD OUT
Sun. Sept. 22 – Las Vegas, NV @ LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL
Thu. Sept. 24 – San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom
Wed. Sept. 25 – Petaluma, CA @ Mystic Theatre
Thu. Sept. 26 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
Sat. Sept. 28 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst – SOLD OUT
Sun. Sept. 29 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst
Sat. Oct. 5 – Lagrange, CA @ Rockweave Festival
Mon. Oct. 7 – Stockholm, SE @ Nalen Klubb
Tue. Oct. 8 – Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen
Wed. Oct. 9 – Hamburg-nord, DE @ Stage Club
Fri. Oct. 11 – Berlin, DE @ Lido
Sun. Oct. 13 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
Mon. Oct. 14 – Brussels, BE @ Orangerie
Tue. Oct. 15 – Paris, FR @ Trabendo
Fri. Oct. 18 – Manchester, UK @ Manchester Academy
Sun. Oct. 20 – Birmingham, UK @ O2 Academy
Mon. Oct. 21 – London, UK @ Islington Assembly Hall
Tue. Oct. 22 – Bristol, UK @ Thekla
Wed. Oct. 23 – Brighton, UK @ Concorde 2
Sun. Jan. 19 – Wed. Jan. 22 – Quintana, MX @ Sky Blue Sky Festival

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Review: Durand Jones and the Indications – American Love Call

We’re less than three full months into 2019 and I’ve already found what is likely to be one of the top 10 albums of the year – American Love Call by Durand Jones and the Indications.

Blending soul, jazz, and funk, American Love Call is a love letter, sermon, and warning to the United States in times of sound and fury and fear.

Starting with the beautiful “Morning in America” (My top single of the year so far.), Jones and his crew bring us tales of average people across the country trying hard to just get by while the rich get richer and Congress does nothing but sling mud. “It’s morning in America, but I can’t see the dawn,” Jones sings. It’s a soulful gut punch. The psychedelic touches on “Don’t You Know” take you straight back to vintage soul records from the 1960’s. It makes you want to dress sharp. “Circles” has Jones so spun up in love with someone who doesn’t care about him that he doesn’t know where to turn or what to do next.

“Court of Love” is a soulful ballad with slow-dance guitar and sad doo-wop backing vocals. The groove on the lovely “Long Way Home” is as downright wicked as the lyrics about trying to work one’s way back from sin are relatable to everyone. The love of family, and love in general, is prevalent throughout the record, of course, and this track is a standout on that theme. You’d swear “Too Many Tears” was part of a collection of tracks from early Motown B-sides.

Speaking of Motown, “Walk Away” brings the Temptations to mind with its lush string section and sultry sound (and that flute solo!). “What I Know About You” is another lesson in sexy grooves. The simple organ chords add a layer that almost carries you away with them. Another jaw-dropping groove comes with the drums on “Listen to Your Heart” – a song about giving into love and passion that the band does so well. It’s probably on five thousand make-out playlists by now.

“Sea Gets Hotter” is a song about holding it together with the one you love while the world falls apart around you. “How Can I Be Sure” has a bass groove suitable for a 1970’s bachelor pad in outer space. The closer is the slow dance-inducing “True Love.” The drum beats in this are slicker than clarified butter in a hot skillet.

I wrote earlier that American Love Call is a love letter, sermon, and warning to America. It’s a love letter to the country that inspires so many, a sermon to a country that needs to embrace love more than ever, and a warning against turning away from love and chasing after things that will only bring heartache in the end. Embrace your neighbors, lovers, friends, strangers, and foes. It’s the call we all must heed.

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Durand Jones and the Indications’ new single, “Long Way Home,” is a time machine back to 1970’s soul.

“The Indications get even better on new LP ‘American Love Call,’ which contains frequent jolts of Frankie Lymon falsetto from drummer Aaron Frazer. Much of contemporary R&B is forceful and rugged; on tracks like ‘Court of Love’ and ‘Sea Gets Hotter,’ the Indications stay wonderfully delicate.” — Rolling Stone

Just ahead of the release of their sophomore album, American Love Call (out March 1st on Dead Oceans/Colemine Records), Durand Jones & the Indications are thrilled to share the album’s third single, “Long Way Home.”

“Aaron [Frazer] was playing something on guitar and I felt like it really went with something I was writing in my journal, a reflection on my experience with the justice system in America,” says Jones. “Aaron liked what I had and added his own perspective to it, about refugees, immigrants and the systemic obstacles they face on arrival. I can’t help but think of the brothers and sisters in America’s prison system whose lives are ruined over minor convictions. How some of my friends at home now navigate their young adult lives as felons, and all the barriers— social, political and economic— that come along with that. I also think of how we are not walking these trials alone. And if you’re willing to give a hand to help something, it usually comes back around when you need it. We have to show up for each other.”

Helmed by foil vocalists Jones and Frazer (drums), The Indications’ sound of “old-school soul with a new-school honesty” (NPR’s All Things Considered) is rounded out by Blake Rhein (guitarist), Kyle Houpt (bassist), and Steve Okonski (keyboard). The Indications will tour the US extensively this spring in support of American Love Call. A full list of tour dates are below.

Watch/Share: “Long Way Home” stream – https://youtu.be/o0P1dkvNSMI

“Morning In America” video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SANEafqL5io

“Don’t You Know” video – https://youtu.be/A9rDPXoGSDg

Durand Jones & the Indications’ Tour Dates: Mon. March 18 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall Tue. March 19 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada Thu. March 21 – Santa Fe, NM @ Tumbleroots Fri. March 22 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom — SOLD OUT Sat. March 23 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah — SOLD OUT Mon. March 25 – Tustin, CA @ Marty’s On Newport — SOLD OUT Tue. March 26 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom — SOLD OUT Wed. March 27 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom — SOLD OUT Thu. March 28 – Santa Barbara, CA @ SOhO Restaurant & Music Club — SOLD OUT Fri. March 29 – Oakland, CA @ The New Parish — SOLD OUT Sat. March 30 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent — SOLD OUT Mon. April 1 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom Tue. April 2 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos Thu. April 4 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The State Room Fri. April 5 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater Sat. April 6 – Kansas City, MO @ recordBar Sun. April 7 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room Tue. April 9 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry Wed. April 10 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon Thu. April 11 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall Fri. April 12 – Columbus, OH @ A&R Music Bar Sat. April 13 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle Sun. April 14 – North Charleston, SC @ High Water Festival Tue. April 16 – Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel Wed. April 17 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg Fri. April 19 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church Sat. April 20 – Uncasville, CT @ Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun Resort Sun. April 21 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall Mon. April 22 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar Wed. April 24 – Cincinnati, OH @ The Woodward Theater Fri. April 26 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement East Sat. April 27 – Oxford, MS @ Double Decker Arts Festival Sun. April 28 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West Sat. May 11 – Bloomington, IN @ Indiana University w/ Neko Case Fri. June 14 – Flagstaff, AZ @ Pepsi Amphitheater w/ Rebelution Sat. June 15 – Chula Vista, CA @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheater w/ Rebelution Sun. June 16 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl w/ Rebelution Mon. June 17 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent Theater Wed. June 19 – Fresno, CA @ Woodward Park Amphitheater w/ Rebelution Thu. June 20 – San Luis Obispo, CA @ Avila Beach Golf Resort w/ Rebelution Fri. June 21 – Sacramento, CA @ Papa Murphy’s Park (Bonney Field) w/ Rebelution Sat. June 22 – Berkeley, CA @ The Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley w/ Rebelution Sun. June 23 – Bend, OR @ Les Schwab Ampitheater w/ Rebelution Thu. June 27 – Boise, ID @ Idaho Botanical Garden – Outlaw Field w/ Rebelution Fri. June 28 – Eugene, OR @ Cuthbert Amphitheater w/ Rebelution Sat. June 29 – Redmond, WA @ King’s County Marymoor Park w/ Rebelution Sun. June 30 – Bonner, MT @ KettleHouse Amphitheater w/ Rebelution

Pre-order American Love Call* – https://ffm.to/americanlovecall

*Dead Oceans exclusive bundle includes the album on limited transparent orange vinyl, limited edition transparent purple “Morning in America b/w Cruisin’ to the Park” Colemine Records white label promo 7”, a 7” adapter and poster.

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Review: Mavis Staples – Live in London

Soul / gospel superstar Mavis Staples once said that she thought London’s Union Chapel was the best place in the world to sing. I’m willing to believe her from the sound of this great, powerful album she recorded there over the course of two nights not long ago. Live in London is a strong statement about the political state of the U.S., a funky soul record, and a high contender for best live album of 2019.

Starting with the soulful “Love and Trust,” Staples rightly declares, “The simplest things can be the hardest to do.” as her killer band breaks in with a killer groove (The album is full of them, really.). The song is about how everyone, sinners and saints alike, are looking for the same thing – love. “Who Told You That” is a smoky, subtle, sexy jam. Her cover of Talking Heads‘ “Slippery People” is a standout that she’s been singing since at least the 1980’s. It’s such a downright jam that you can’t help but shake and shimmy when hearing it.

“What You Gonna Do” is a classic blues track about preparing for death. “Take Us Back” has Staples proclaiming, “I’ve got friends, and I’ve got family. I’ve got help from all the people who love me.” She’s been in the business for decades and admits that she wouldn’t be where she is without those who supported her all those years.

Staples starts getting political on “You Are Not Alone” as she sings to those isolated and afraid in places of hostility, war, and poverty. “Every tear on every face tastes the same,” she sings. That’s truth. “No Time for Cryin'” has Staples calling us to action (“I’m going to march right up to that big [White] house. We got work to do.”) and railing against gun violence and “taking babies away from their mothers” while her guitarist plays a sizzling solo.

“Can You Get to That” has a solid groove that will keep Jack White awake at night wishing he’d come up with it. Her cover of Curtis Mayfield‘s “Let’s Do It Again” is one of the best make-out songs you’ve heard in a while. “Dedicated” starts with a lovely guitar solo and drifts into a lovely song about perseverance and those who sacrificed in the civil rights struggle. “We’re Gonna Make It” is an uplifting song about overcoming financial struggles, but Staples adds an urgency to it that reflects keeping your hopes up for better times in America.

“There just ain’t no stopping me, is it?” Staples says before launching into the album’s closer, “Touch a Hand,” a song about reaching out to strangers and neighbors alike in these times of narcissism and anger.

Live in London makes you want to catch Staples live as soon as possible (like any good live album should). Do it if you can.

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Durand Jones and the Indications release powerful new single and video, “Morning in America,” from upcoming album.

“…its exploration of social and economic challenges (‘It’s morning in America/But I can’t see the dawn’) makes it resonate deeply in the present…” – Billboard, on “Morning In America”

“Is it any wonder that y’all about to blow up!” – Robin Roberts, Good Morning America

“…I can attest that witnessing Jones live is very much akin to how I imagine the early shows of his heroes from the ‘60s and ‘70s – tight as hell, bursting with raw emotion and drenched in sweat.” – Variety

“Durand Jones & The Indications bathe in the glimmering afterglow of early ’70s soul on this stunning track, with occasional nods to heartland folk.” — Bandcamp, on “Don’t You Know”

“From the start, the band’s laid-back, early-’70s groove, when paired with the two impossibly smooth vocalists at the forefront of the project, allowed Jones & The Indications to reach an almost nostalgic, ridiculous level of cool.” — Paste

Durand Jones & The Indications will release their sophomore album, American Love Call, on March 1st via Dead Oceans/Colemine Records. After sharing lead single, “Don’t You Know”, the band returns with the follow-up cut: the poignant, politically charged album opener, “Morning In America”. “It’s a fraught moment in our history. ‘Morning in America’ is a song for this moment,” says the band. Penned by drummer Aaron Frazer, the band has this to say regarding the track:

“The lyrics speak to how many of us feel every day in this time of political and environmental uncertainty— flitting between anger, despair, anxiety but ever returning to a sliver of hope that there’s still a path forward.

“We so often divide ourselves by our differences. Acknowledging those differences is crucial; listening to those different from us is crucial. But viewed solely through that lens, we are fragmented and few. When we look at the country along economic lines, however, a different picture emerges. Suddenly people of all of colors, in every part of this country, can find themselves on the same side, united by a shared struggle to simply survive in the richest nation to ever exist.

“This song was inspired by The Poor People’s Campaign, a movement started by Martin Luther King Jr. shortly before his assassination. It functions today as a nonpartisan organization that promotes intersectionality and inter-movement unity as a tool of addressing systemic injustices.”

It’s accompanying video, directed by Ellie Foumbi, find’s immense inspiration in the song’s message. “It’s impossible to hear this song and not connect its message to the current political climate in America,” says Foumbi. “It makes you stop and question the ways in which our country has changed and whether we’re as far along as we should be. The themes of inequality, social and economic oppression, and the disparity between the haves and the have-nots jumped out at me. The juxtaposition between past and present, rich and poor, black and white are so prevalent in our society that it only felt right to highlight them in the video.”

Watch Video For “Morning In America” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SANEafqL5io

Helmed by foil vocalists Jones and Frazer, The Indications’ sound of “old-school soul with a new-school honesty” (NPR’s All Things Considered) is rounded out by Blake Rhein (guitarist), Kyle Houpt (bassist), and Steve Okonski (keyboard). The Indications will tour the US extensively this spring in support of American Love Call. A full list of tour dates are below.

Watch Video For “Don’t You Know” – https://youtu.be/A9rDPXoGSDg

Durand Jones & The Indications’ Tour Dates : March 18 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall Tue. March 19 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada Thu. March 21 – Santa Fe, NM @ Tumbleroots Fri. March 22 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom Sat. March 23 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah — SOLD OUT Mon. March 25 – Tustin, CA @ Marty’s On Newport — SOLD OUT Tue. March 26 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom — SOLD OUT Wed. March 27 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom — SOLD OUT Thu. March 28 – Santa Barbara, CA @ SOhO Restaurant & Music Club Fri. March 29 – Oakland, CA @ The New Parish — SOLD OUT Sat. March 30 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent — SOLD OUT Mon. April 1 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom Tue. April 2 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos Thu. April 4 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The State Room Fri. April 5 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater Sat. April 6 – Kansas City, MO @ recordBar Sun. April 7 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room Tue. April 9 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry Wed. April 10 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon Thu. April 11 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall Fri. April 12 – Columbus, OH @ A&R Music Bar Sat. April 13 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle Sun. April 14 – North Charleston, SC @ High Water Festival Tue. April 16 – Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel Wed. April 17 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg Fri. April 19 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church Sat. April 20 – Uncasville, CT @ Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun Resort Sun. April 21 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall Mon. April 22 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar Wed. April 24 – Cincinnati, OH @ The Woodward Theater Fri. April 26 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement East Sat. April 27 – Oxford, MS @ Double Decker Arts Festival Sun. April 28 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West Sat. May 11 – Bloomington, IN @ Indiana University w/ Neko Case Sun. Sep. 15 – Telluride, CO @ Blues & Brews Festival

Pre-order American Love Call* – https://ffm.to/americanlovecall

Keep your mind open.

[I’m sending out a love call for you to subscribe.]