Description
Label Review.
2017 album.
Our Overview.
JD McPherson, singer songwriter who makes vintage-sounding rock with nods to 40s R&B, blues and 50s rockabilly is returning with his first album in 3 years ‘Undivided Heart & Soul’ released on New West Records. The 11-song set was produced by McPherson and Dan Molad (Lucius, Tweedy), and was recorded at the historic RCA Studio B in Nashville, TN. ‘Undivided Heart & Soul’ is McPherson’s first studio album in three years and follows his critically acclaimed ‘Let The Good Times Roll’ (2014), which Rolling Stone praised as “timeless, forward-thinking rock & roll.”
The new, soul-baring album is a snapshot of his creative process bringing the record to life, a journey filled with fear and change, then boldness, and, eventually catharsis. The album features collaborations with Parker Millsap, Butch Walker, and Aaron Lee Tasjan. In addition to his longtime band members Doug Corcoran on guitar, Raynier Jacob Jacildo on keys, Jimmy Sutton on bass, and Jason Smay on drums, the album also features guest appearances by Jack Lawrence (The Raconteurs, Greenhornes), Jess Wolfe & Holly Laessig of Lucius, and Nicole Atkins. JD McPherson has now shared the video for the album’s first single ‘Lucky Penny’. The video depicts McPherson and his band performing the song at RCA Studio B and was directed by George Salisbury (Flaming Lips, Nathaniel Rateliff).
Prior to writing and recording the new album, McPherson moved his family from their longtime home of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma to the burgeoning artist community of East Nashville, TN. His decision was based on opportunity and one he was reluctant to make, but notes the profound influence the city has had on his new work. “Up to this point, I thought I knew what I was doing with songwriting, that I don’t do this or that,” says McPherson. After collaborating with multiple artists in the scene, he began to experiment, exploring personal themes and injecting more of himself into his work (including a co-write on the album with his wife Mandy). Opening up his process was no easy task. “I was having nightmares every night, thinking, ‘Wow, they’re going to hate this.”
With a group of songs taking shape, McPherson and crew scheduled studio time to begin work on the album. After initial tracking began, it quickly became apparent that the sessions were not going to work, bringing his momentum to a halt. At the invitation of his friend and longtime supporter Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, who was also recording at the time, McPherson, Homme, and his Queens bandmate Dean Fertita jammed together over a weekend in Los Angeles. They played around with some songs, with Homme pushing McPherson outside of his comfort zone in a no-stakes environment. McPherson calls the getaway “the most fun I’ve had since I was 15 years old” and returned to Nashville with a clear head, internal filters successfully stifled, and ready to move forward with a new co-producer in Dan Molad (also the drummer for the band Lucius). “There’s a pretty broad gap in our tastes, what we do and what we’re into,” McPherson says of Molad. Where McPherson is as likely to lean on The Cramps as he is Irma Thomas for inspiration, Molad’s left-field production suggestions influenced a new perspective on his sound. “We ended up learning a lot from each other, and he did a lot of stuff I’d have never thought to do.”
“Most folks know us for our take on vintage R&B and early Rock N’ Roll. The past year, I’ve been digging so much into the heavier, brasher sounds of early Rock N’ Roll... from bands like The Sonics, Link Wray, and into some early British Rock such as The Creation... these influences feature heavily in these songs. The tunes that showed up weren’t exactly always in familiar territory, and... we greeted them as welcome strangers. They have a lot of heart... and that’s what Rock N’ Roll should always have.” JD McPherson