RY COODER PREMIERES TITLE TRACK OF HIS NEW ALBUM THE PRODIGAL SON
BAND MEMBERS ANNOUNCED FOR RY COODER’S FIRST SOLO TOUR IN TEN YEARS: DRUMMER-PERCUSSIONIST, JOACHIM COODER; MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST, ROBERT FRANCIS; SAXOPHONIST, SAM GENDEL AND FAMED VOCAL TRIO, THE HAMILTONES
Toronto, ON – March 29, 2018 – Ry Cooder has shared the title track from his first new solo release in six years, The Prodigal Son, set for release by Fantasy Records on May 11th, 2018. Listen to the track here and Pre-Order The Prodigal Son here.
Cooder also shared the details of The Prodigal Son Tour, his first full solo outing since 2009. The fabled musician will be joined by chief collaborator, drummer, percussionist, and keyboardist, Joachim Cooder; accomplished singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Robert Francis; a unique saxophonist who has recorded with some of the most recognizable names in jazz and popular music, Sam Gendel, and the Grammy-award winning vocal trio from North Carolina, The Hamiltones. The tour will visit venues throughout North America this spring and summer (see dates below).
The Prodigal Son is essential Cooder. A masterwork of roots, blues and R&B, the album conjures our own history of the spirit, sounding completely fresh and contemporary, framed by Cooder's expressive vocals and graceful, elegant guitar work. The album's 11 tracks include three Cooder originals along with a carefully selected collection of vintage blues, gospel and bluegrass by the likes of The Pilgrim Travelers, The Stanley Brothers and Blind Willie Johnson. Taken together, it forms an unflinching look at the state of play in modern America.
The LA Times described Shrinking Man (a Cooder original and first track released off the album) as “an up-tempo blues shuffle featuring scratchy bottleneck guitar work for a treatise on living more responsibly and respectfully.”
“I do connect the political/economic dimensions with the inner life of people, since people are at risk and oppressed on all sides in our world today,” he stated. “There’s some kind of reverence mood that takes hold when you play and sing these songs. ‘Reverence’ is a word I heard my granddaughter’s nursery school teacher use, a Kashmiri woman. She said, ‘We don’t want to teach religion, but instill reverence.’ I thought that was a good word for the feeling of this music.”
For nearly 50 years, the immense scope and influence of Ry Cooder's music has been felt as much, or more than heard. As master musician, producer, songwriter and sage, the Santa Monica, California native has explored music and culture from across the city, the state, the country, and around the world. Framed by his expressive vocals and elegant guitar work, this is music for these times. A deft commentary on our ailing moral state, The Prodigal Son is a fearless dive into the country’s soul, and the man, Ry Cooder.
For tour and ticket information, please visit: RyCooder.com
The Prodigal Son Track List:
1. straight street (James W. Alexander / Jesse Whitaker)
2. shrinking man (Ry Cooder)
3. gentrification (Ry Cooder / Joachim Cooder)
4. everybody ought to treat a stranger right (Traditional; Blind Willie Johnson, Arr. by Ry Cooder)
5. the prodigal son (Traditional: Arranged by Ry Cooder /Joachim Cooder)
6. nobody’s fault but mine (Blind Willie Johnson / Arranged Ry Cooder / Joachim Cooder)
7. you must unload (Alfred Reed)
8. i’ll be rested when the roll is called (Blind Roosevelt Graves)
9. harbor of love (Carter Stanley)
10. Jesus and woody (Ry Cooder)
11. in his care (William L. Dawson)
Ry Cooder - Tour Dates :
June 4 - Alexandria, VA - Birchmere
June 6 - Ridgefield, CT - Ridgefield Playhouse
June 7 - Boston, MA - Wilbur Theatre
June 8 - New York, NY - Town Hall Theatre
June 11 - Alexandria, VA - Birchmere
June 12 - Derry, NH - Tupelo
June 22 - Ann Arbor, MI - Michigan Theater
June 24 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall
June 26 - Toronto, ON - Massey Hall
June 27 - Ottawa, ON - Centerpoint
June 29 - Montréal, QC - Jazz Festival @ Maisonneuve
June 30 - Burlington, VT - Flynn Theater
July 1 - Lenox, MA - Tanglewood
July 3 - Philadelphia, PA - Mann Center
July 13 - Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre
July 14 - Courtenay, BC - Vancouver Island MusicFest
July 17 - Portland, OR - Revolution Hall
July 20 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
July 21 - Napa, CA - Uptown Theatre
Aug 10 - Calgary, AB - Jack Singer
Aug 14 - Denver, CO - Paramount