JAMES HOUSE
AND
THE BLUES
COWBOYS
NEW ALBUM
OUT AUGUST 3
“There is a vulnerable truth in James House’s songwriting
that is very humbling for any writer to experience and that voice!!! That voice
is pure emotion heartbreaking and soul lifting at the same time. I love you,
James. Congrats on another great one!” – Beth Hart
The beautiful mind
of House writes words and lines that will turn
you inside out:
“Once there was this spider in my bed, I got caught up
in her web, of love and lies”
Nashville-based singer-songwriter James House set to release
an album of Blues, Americana, and rock to his fans that have been begging him
to do for a long time. His love of the Blues has always been an undercurrent
tone to his tunes. The self-titled album will come out on August 3 to worldwide
audiences, and this time, James is singing from his gut.
“Mama killed Daddy in self-defense
Never was one to sit on the fence” – “Jail House Blues”
Created by James in his studio, Cabin In The Woods located
in a rural area of Nashville, he called on some hot shot musicians with great
pedigrees to help: Todd Sharp (Rod Stewart, Hall & Oates), Mike Bradford
(Uncle Kracker), Will Kimbrough and Kenny Greenberg (an A-list Nashville studio
guitarist). He tapped into his vault of songs that fit the sound of the
ever-evolving songwriter and pushed the record button, letting the magic happen
organically.
Songs from this album are swinging, haunting and sometimes
hopeful with House pulling out all the stops by using his creative influences
like John Lee Hooker, William Faulkner and the wild violin strings of Eamon
McGlouglin (The Greencards, John Paul White, and Ashley Monroe) to provide some
fire. You can hear how his craft intersects with his art with songs like, “Long
Way Down” that recall John Lee Hooker and “Well Ran Dry” - that asks the
question, what if William Faulkner wrote a blues song?
Well, he’d write something like this:
I’m an empty soul
At the holy water bowl
Waiting on the rising tide – “Well Ran Dry”
House, a sought-after collaborator with Joe Bonamassa, Beth
Hart, Martina McBride and Dwight Yoakum has found himself in some of the best
musical circles one could be in. James has a way with the art of story-telling
while delivering it with a good cry, moan and groan.
Hounds of hell are barking
right outside my door
and every time I feed em
they come back for more –
“Long Way Down”
House has recently been behind the scenes shaping the sound
of modern Blues music with his sophisticated songwriting. As a singer, House’s
voice has that rough soul ache that is his secret weapon as a writer and
performer. As a guitar player, he lets his Fender do the talking as the riffs
fly off his fingers providing a backdrop to his melodies.
His songs have been nominated for Grammys, Country Music
Association Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards and climbed their way to
the top of the charts. Some songs have been game-changers for young 6-string
slingers such as British Blues artist Joanne Shaw Taylor to the more developed
voices of Beth Hart and Martina McBride. One can’t go wrong with a House song.
James might not be a household name, but his songs are.
Throughout his years with his performance rights organization group, BMI, he
has reached a 7 million and counting radio airplay spins to date for three of
his songs: “A Broken Wing” and “Ain't That Lonely Yet” are at 3
million radio airplay awards each and “In A Week, Or Two” is at 2
Million. James has set his sights on changing the Blues music world, and
he does it with style. House co/wrote eight songs on with Joe on (Bonamassa’s
Different Shades Of Blue (reached: #8 Billboard
Album Chart #1 Blues and Rock) and seven songs on Blues Of
Desperation (reached: #5 Billboard Album Chart #1
Blues/Rock ).
Blues guitar hotshot Joe Bonamassa says this about his
partner in crime:
“James House is one of the
premier songwriting and musical talents in the world today. His ability to
flourish in so many different genres is a testament to his lifelong dedication
to his songwriting craft. Plus, he is one helluva singer. On a
personal note, many of my career-defining songs have been written with
James. He is very good at taking my wacky ideas and turning them into
real songs. “
-Joe Bonamassa
A native of Northern
California and now a long-time resident of Nashville, James was raised on music
from his families’ ranch in Oregon and the Sacramento Delta where he and
friends would often head to Fillmore West in San Francisco to hear blues greats
like Paul Butterfield and BB King. The
talented songwriter moved to Los Angeles after high school graduation where he
honed his craft working on film soundtracks, various studio sessions and
playing around town where he ended up signing with first Warner/Curb and later
Atlantic Records where he recorded with Steely Dan producer Gary Katz.
His live shows are filled with
passion and grit, and for this album, he has handpicked some new talent. His
touring line up will include two unique musicians from Lafayette, LA that he
met during a songwriter’s event named, Smoov Ras and Roddie Romero:
"Roddie Romero is a
Lafayette, LA guitar playing, singing legend and Smoove Ras is a drummer/
percussionist/ vocalist who people are just now discovering and also from
Lafayette. They both have that innate sense of music and both are committed to
their craft. From the moment we got together to write and jam the
harmonies were spot on, and it was like we'd been playing together for
years. They are The Blues Cowboys." – James House
James’ approach
to songwriter has always stood alone as he chooses his words, notes, and chords
carefully to construct a song and have it stand the test of time. From
Music Row to Santa Monica Blvd and now eyeing Beale Street, James House has
always had the Blues one way or another.
