Y’dig That! will be out on the 1st of August, and I can’t wait for you to hear what I’ve been up to! I’m so happy with it. It will be available both in CD and digital formats.
The feel of the album is, I hope, musically one of a retro five piece combo (vocal/acoustic guitar, electric lead guitar, piano, double bass, and drums) with a jazz enthused vibe and groove, letting the songs do the talking. Whether I’ve achieved that is down to you!
In the main, the songs were written during the pandemic, so they reflect where my head was at the time: a number are about observations and news of the time, one is my trying to make sense of the invasion of Ukraine, with a couple also about characters from the past: Nora Barnacle the wife of the great Irish writer James Joyce and Henri Toulouse Lautrec the painter of Paris nightlife and its ‘underside’, and one inspired by a 17c Cambridgeshire folk tale about a certain Mister Leech and his challenge to ‘Old Nic”.
A video to accompany the Ukraine song ‘Dissonance in the note’ is up on my YouTube channel as a precursor to the album release (it’s also on the ‘audio & visual’ tab on here). Give it a look, listen, and hopefully a like and a share! Maybe subscribe to my YouTube and Facebook pages and let me know what you think.
I cannot let the moment pass without acknowledging some amazing people who’ve been there through from recording to production. So a massive thanks to all who those who’ve helped me. Shameless name drop follows: The Musicians- Chris Newman, Malek Hyde-Smith, Joel Humann, and Art Toper. Tim Bond, Bookmatch Recording Studio. Nev Barker, Moari Music Publishing. Andrew Thompson, Karen Klein Kenney, and Tim Courtnell Sound Performance for mastering and CD manufacturing. Emm Rouse at 6ft Creative for the artwork.
I’d also like to highlight Nev Barker owner of Confidential Records UK Ltd who over many years has seen to the distribution of my music. Nev is drawing down this side of his portfolio, so this time I’m going it alone! Thank you Nev.
I’ll post details on where the album can be purchased, downloaded and streamed nearer the release date.
Soloman x
Soloman Smith 