The new roots music superstar

If you are an old Rockabilly scenester like me you already know how stale the genre can be. It will always be a part of who I am. But over the last 6 or 7 years I have drifted into other genres of music looking for that same identification and excitement I found in the early 90s.

So when I hear somebody as fresh as JD McPherson it is kind of a big deal. This cat has it all; great style, gear, voice and AMAZING songwriting ability. I have been listening to his album Signs And Signifiers non-stop for the last few weeks. Jimmy Sutton's production done at his Hi Style Recordings in Chicago just blows me away. Recorded on all vintage analog tube equipment with ribbon mikes in an attic it harkens back to Ricky Lee Brawn's Valvemobile/Priory recordings from the 90s.

This record has captured lightning in a bottle. It is a party record to be sure. But the spot on instrumentation and production does nothing to obscure the solid songwriting. Gentle Awakening could hold its own against other neo-R&B acts such as Adele or The Noisettes. I would not be surpised if it charts in Europe.





If you haven't already, do yourself a favor and pick us this record or listen to it on Spotify. This guy is gonna be a roots music superstar.