Single Lock signs The Blind Boys of Alabama!!
SINGLE LOCK RECORDS AND BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA TEAM UP FOR DEBUT DIGITAL RELEASE OF ALMOST HOME TO ALL SERVICES
FULL ALBUM DUE OUT AUGUST 28; BOB DYLAN-PENNED AND MUSCLE SHOALS-RECORDED “SEE BY FAITH” AVAILABLE MAY 1
PRE-SAVE THE ALBUM AND HEAR THE TRACK HERE: ORCD.CO/BLINDBOYS
The Blind Boys of Alabama have signed to Alabama-based Single Lock Records and will widely release their critically acclaimed album Almost Home to all digital music platforms for the first time on August 28. The 12-song collection serves as a fitting capstone to a seven-decade career that has both defined the sound of the American South and pushed it forward from the 20th century and into the 21st. NPR Music hails the record as “a gorgeous rumination on the body’s labor and soul’s legacy.”
To celebrate the signing and the wide release, the Blind Boys are making a bonus track from the Almost Home sessions at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals — a previously unrecorded Bob Dylan song from his gospel period, “See By Faith” — available May 1 on all major digital platforms.
Almost Home was recorded over four different sessions with four different GRAMMY-winning producers in four different cities. The album is composed primarily of original songs, which focus on the remarkable journey of two of the band’s original members, longtime leader Clarence Fountain (who has since passed away), and current leader Jimmy Carter. It features songwriting contributions from an exceptional collection of artists including Valerie June, North Mississippi Allstars, John Leventhal, Marc Cohn, Ruthie Foster, Phil Cook, Randall Bramblett and more. Leventhal (Rosanne Cash, William Bell) recorded with the Blind Boys and their band in New York City, Vance Powell (Chris Stapleton, Jack White) and Charles Driebe in Nashville, Chris Goldsmith (Charlie Musselwhite, Ben Harper) in Seattle, and Los Lobos' Steve Berlin (Faith No More, Buckwheat Zydeco) at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals.
Almost Home succeeds in looking backwards, while still sounding as vital and modern as ever. From the autobiographical and heart-wrenching “Let My Mother Live” - which was nominated for a Grammy Award upon the album’s initial release - to the propulsive, piano-pounding groove of “I Kept on Walking,” the struggles and triumphs of the octogenarian original members is revealed in song.
Since releasing their debut single in 1948, the Blind Boys have been hailed as "gospel titans" by Rolling Stone, received five GRAMMY Awards (plus one for Lifetime Achievement), been inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, collaborated with everyone from Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) to Mavis Staples to Prince and Lou Reed, and performed on some of the world's most prestigious stages. The New York Times said that they "came to epitomize what is known as jubilee singing, a livelier breed of gospel music," adding that "they made it zestier still by adding jazz and blues idioms and turning up the volume, creating a sound...like the rock 'n' roll
that grew out of it." The New Yorker simply called them “legendary."
By signing to Alabama-based indie Single Lock Records, the Blind Boys have “returned home” to a label in their state with a reputation for celebrating the best in Southern and Alabama music.
“The Blind Boys of Alabama are excited to be on Single Lock Records, a great Alabama label started by our friend John Paul White from Muscle Shoals,” bandleader Jimmy Carter says. “They are going to put out our album ‘Almost Home,’ which tells the story of the Blind Boys from the beginning, and contains songs that are close to my heart.”
Almost Home Tracklist (with songwriter info):
1. Stay on the Gospel Side (John Leventhal/Marc Cohn/Clarence Fountain) 2. Let My Mother Live (John Leventhal/Marc Cohn/Jimmy Carter)
3. God Knows Everything (John Leventhal/Marc Cohn)
4. Pray For Peace (Luther Dickinson/Cody Dickinson/Oteil Burbridge/Joey Williams/Ray Ladson/ Charles Driebe)
5. Singing Brings Us Closer (Phil Cook)
6. Almost Home (Randall Bramblett/Clarence Fountain/Jimmy Carter) 7. Live Forever (Billy Joe Shaver)
8. I Shall Be Released (Bob Dylan)
9. Train Fare (Valerie June)
10. I Can See (Joey Williams/Ray Ladson/Jimmy Sloan)
11. I Kept on Walking (Cris Jacobs)
12. I Was Called (Ruthie Foster/Scottie Miller)
13. See By Faith (Bob Dylan)
Production Notes:
· Tracks 1-3 Produced by John Leventhal in New York City
· Tracks 4-6 Produced by Vance Powell and Charles Driebe in Nashville · Tracks 7-9 Produced by Chris Goldsmith in Seattle
· Tracks 10-13 Produced by Steve Berlin in Muscle Shoals, Alabama
To learn more about the band, visit http://www.blindboys.comTo learn more about the label, visit http://www.singlelock.com