New York, NY (Top40 Charts) On October 16, the certified pure blues singer, harmonica player, songwriter and producer, TheReverend Shawn Amos will continue to spread his secular gospel with a brand new album The Reverend Shawn Amos Loves You. The son of chocolate chip cookie magnate Wally"
Famous" Amos and night club singer Shirl-ee May Ellis, he is dedicated to continuing, extending and spreading the tradition of the blues with unsurpassed fervor and emotional expression. Born in New York City, raised up on the gritty Sunset Strip in the seventies and preceding his performing career with many successful musical ventures, Amos breaks nearly every cliché with his talent and unstoppable drive. The album marks the producing debut of 2x Grammy nominee, Mindi Abair.
"Bright Lights, Big City" is the first single to be released from the album: https://music.yahoo.com/video/bright-lights-big-city-153837811.html
Ten bone-deep originals and two well-chosen covers contain the combined exceptional ensemble skills of Chris "
Doctor" Roberts (guitars), Brady Blade (drums, percussion), Chris
Thomas (bass), Anthony Marinelli, Hassell Teekell (keyboards),
Mindi Abair (saxophones, producer), Lewis Smith (trumpet), Forever Jones (backing vocals) and Nick Lane (horn arrangements). In addition, guest artists The
Blind Boys of
Alabama and Missy Andersen lend their illustrious presence to two tracks.
"Days of Depression," with the lauded gospel group adding considerable gravitas, harkens back to the prewar South. Grinding slowly and inexorably forward on a haunting, hypnotic work song guitar riff, it has Amos intoning the poetic lyrics "In my days of depression I could take my hands off the wheel, let me go where the wind blows, let me go with the Lord." "Brand New Man," conversely, "tears the roof off the sucka" with a stomping R&B groove to lift listeners right out of their seats. Amos unleashes his soul power while making his carnal desires clear with"Baby gonna make me a brand new man" as a profane, repeating mantra dynamically charged with the stop-time aside "I'm feeling lonely, I'm feeling hungry, you got me wanting you", as Roberts shreds on his axe. A sprightly two-beat cover of Minnie Lawler's "Joliet Bound" affords Roberts the opportunity to flaunt his impressive six-string skills as he weaves expressive blues lines around Amos relating with appropriate dread his tale of woe regarding the infamous Illinois prison.
The Reverend Shawn Amos attributes his diverse background to growing up in the colorful Hollywood landscape. Prior to becoming a blues preacher - and ordained minister with the Universal Life Church - Amos was an A&R executive at Rhino Entertainment and vice president of A&R at Shout! Factory, where he produced and recorded multiple Grammy-nominated projects. He produced broadcast, DVD and audio titles for legacy artists ranging from
Heart to
Quincy Jones, for whom Amos later ran the Listen Up Foundation. Throughout Amos' childhood and adulthood, his mother suffered from schizoaffective disorder and ultimately committed suicide in 2003. The trauma of the event and his subsequent discovery of her early singing career were the inspiration behind his 2005 album release, Thank You Shirl-ee May. Amos has released five albums of music, including his 2014 release, The Reverend Shawn Amos Tells It, a collection of blues originals and covers that received much acclaim from the blues & roots world, and the sophomore blues album The Reverend Shawn Amos Loves You.
Website: https://www.shawnamos.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ReverendShawnAmos
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ShawnAmos
Channel: www.youtube.com/user/shawnamos
Mini Doc: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lyPR4j6h8Y
Single: www.music.yahoo.com/video/bright-lights-big-city-153837811.html
