Don’t Look Back: The Muscle Shoals
Sessions
Produced by Tom
Hambridge and Blessed by FAME founder Rick Hall
Cyril Neville’s Royal
Southern Brotherhood Eyes
May 26th
For Digital Release and June 9th for CDs in Stores!
“They are not a band –
they are an extravaganza” – John Hiatt
Atlanta, GA – Ruf Records
recording group, Royal Southern Brotherhood (RSB) preps for their much
anticipated third studio album, Don’t Look Back: The Muscle Shoals Sessions
for two opportunities for fans May 26th for online stores to
download and then June 9th in the record store bins.
This album was recorded at the legendary FAME Studios (est.
1960 - Aretha Franklin, Little Richard, Wilson Pickett, Etta James, Otis
Redding) in Muscle Shoals, AL with Grammy award-winning producer Tom Hambridge
and the band’s new guitar lineup as Cyril Neville leads the charge forward.
Don’t Look Back is a spiritual journey that only Cyril Neville
can lead. The elite percussionist’s experiences combined with these talented,
energetic players create a new sound that remains reverent to the blues
traditions. This highlights the magic that happens when great songs are
performed by great bands.
The magic of FAME was not lost on
band leader, Cyril Neville. The longtime musical icon almost sounded like a
star struck upstart when speaking of the experience, stating, “I stood in the
same place (vocal booth) as Wilson Pickett!”
The energy and excitement was not
lost on the rest of the band. The process began when the band gathered at a
rented house along the Tennessee River. The river is famous for the
singing-like sounds it makes as the waves lap against the shores. According to
the legend of The Singing River,
which is associated with the Yuchie
tribe, it is believed the flowing waters sounded like a woman singing. The
time in the rented house not only inspired much of the material, it allowed the
band to develop the chemistry that separates a band from a group of musicians.
For their third effort, RSB
brought in two new fiery guitar slingers, Bart Walker and Tyrone Vaughan, to
breathe new energy into the band's sound. The new blood is there to help the
venerable Cyril Neville on percussion and vocals with the thunderous rhythm
section of Yonrico Scott and Charlie Wooton to up the funk while maintaining
the blues and rock that has brought Royal Southern Brotherhood a growing,
worldwide audience.
The constant touring and
recording has paid off: in 2014, the band won a Blues Music Award for BEST DVD
for Songs
From The Road – Live In Germany. This year they are nominated for BEST
ROCK BLUES ALBUM for their sophomore effort, heartsoulblood and that
will be decided in Memphis at the Blues Music Awards held in May.
Songs
like “Big Greasy” recalls old school funk and Go-Go music, a sparse “Anchor Me”
is a tender love ballad while the Neville autobiographical “Hell or High Water”
is filled with the showman’s life and its struggles. The banjo-tinged title
track, “Don’t Look Back” which is sung by Bart, brings in a country texture to
give it a traveling feel.
All
these great songs came from various places as the band toured. Whether it was a
sound check in the mid-west or a cheap hotel lobby or some studio in Europe,
the band fleshed out their ideas (often recorded on their cell phones), so they
had structure and hooks worked out before reaching FAME. This allowed the band
and Hambridge to concentrate on performance instead of spending time developing ideas.
"We got
to Alabama and dug deep down into the dirt of Muscle Shoals and
created this wonderful gumbo of sound. It's easy to get creative with a band
when everybody is open and flowing in the same direction. This band has such a
positive energy around it. They are truly a brotherhood and it was a joy
producing this album." -
Tom Hambridge
The other cats on tape are Dumpstaphunk’s
Ivan Neville on keyboards/organ and the legendary Jimmy Hall on harp scattered
about adding flare to the tunes.
Bart Walker, with his tinted
glasses and curly hair, has a powerhouse voice that cuts through the
music. Classically trained as a formal
opera singer, Walker hails from the Nashville area and he spent time in both
Mike Farris from The Screamin’ Cheetah Willies and Reese Wynans (and old SRV
bandmate) musical outfits. His 2013 release, Waiting On Daylight,
garnered both national and international acclaim. This attention gave Bart the
cache to see a lot of the world via Ruf Records President’s, Blues Caravan
Tour, which spotlights new talent to sizable audiences. Now a seasoned player,
Walker was ready and able to join the Brotherhood. “Joining RSB was the best
idea anyone had for me,” said the affable Walker.
This was Tyrone Vaughan’s second time collectively playing
with the others and he fell into place as if he were a longtime bandmate. Being the son of Jimmie Vaughan and the
nephew of the iconic SRV can be a heavy burden to bear. Fortunately,
Tyrone is unaffected by the adulation for his family, and developed his own
gifted style and signature tone. Tyrone cut his own path by working his way up
through the Austin (a town drenched in guitar heroes for the uninitiated) club
scene in his teens, eventually packing clubs around Texas. Through hard work,
studying the masters and a tip or two from the family, Tyrone has developed a
soulful voice along with a guitar tone that mixes blues, rock and country.
As for the 65-year-old Neville, a world-renowned
percussionist has long been considered New Orleans royalty for his stints in
the Grammy Award winning Neville Brothers, Galactic and The Meters. Neville’s career has spawned 45 some odd
years and has included performances with music icons such as Bono, Joan Baez,
Dr. John and Tab Benoit. His philosophical beliefs and activist voice blend
effortlessly when Cyril sits down to write. His intuition to the world and
people are reflected within his soulful singing voice which creates a magnetic
force between the listener and him.
In 1989, Cyril penned “Sister Rosa,” about the Civil Rights
icon, Rosa Parks. USA Today honored Neville by choosing the song as one of
the most inspirational songs about
Martin Luther King’s, “I Have A Dream,” speech on the 50th
anniversary of the historical oration given during the march on Washington
(Parks was in attendance). “Sister Rosa” may not have had a change on the
movement at the time, but Neville’s composition reminded a country of the
thousands of souls that risked their lives to bring an end to a shameful
tradition in the U.S.
This past year, Cyril found
himself being interviewed by another drummer, Dave Grohl, of the Foo Fighters,
for the “Sonic Highways” documentary on HBO. This eight-part series that
followed the Foo Fighters around to various US cities, capturing the music
scene and history that is unique to that city. Grohl, who directed the series,
interviewed other Nawlins luminaries Dr. John, Allen Toussaint and Troy
“Trombone Shorty” Andrews to gain an understanding of the Crescent City’s unique
musical sound.
Cyril will lead the charge into
the next Royal Southern Brotherhood crusade with this new album, Don’t
Look Back with eyes narrowed. And just like John Hiatt says, “They are
not a band, they are an extravaganza!” A sound and sight event of pure talent
mixed in with love for their art, the music and their fans, the Loyal Royals.
The band will be in full touring
mode throughout the year with radio and media campaigns behind them.
ROYAL SOUTHERN
BROTHERHOOD INTINERARY
JAZZ FEST SCHEDULE:
04/29/15 New
Orleans, LA Louisiana
Music Factory
In-Store!
04/30/15 New
Orleans, LA Botanical
Gardens
05/02/15 New
Orleans, LA New
Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival
05/02/15 New
Orleans, LA Saenger
Theatre
Neville’s
Forever – A Celebration of the Neville Brothers and Their Music
SUMMER of RSB TOUR:
05/15/15 Colorado
Springs, CO Stargazers Theatre
05/16/15 Denver,
CO Lost Lake Lounge
05/17/15 Durango,
CO Taste of Durango
05/19/15 Flagstaff,
AZ The
Orpheum Theater
05/20/15 Phoenix,
AZ The
Rhythm Room
05/23/15 Simi
Valley, CA Simi Valley Cajun and Blues
Festival
05/24/15 Oroville,
CA Semi- Annual Blues Festival
06/19/15
Aurora,
IL
Blues on
the Fox
