Aloe Blacc will release a brand new single, "Green Lights", on September 11, 2011 (Epic); the follow-up to his international crossover hit, "I Need A Dollar".
It is taken from Blacc's second album, 'Good Things', which went Top 10 in the UK and received significant critical acclaim worldwide (he 'writes like Gil-Scott Heron and sings like Bill Withers', The New York Times).
Buy CDs, MP3s, more:
Following sell-out headline dates at London's Somerset House, Scala and Jazz Café - plus show-stealing sets at festivals such as Glastonbury - a new UK tour has also just been confirmed. Tickets for the nationwide trek, featuring a huge London date at Hammersmith Apollo (December 15), are on sale on Friday July 15, 2011: see aloeblacc.co.uk for details.
Aloe's new single, "Green Lights", is an effortless and uplifting mix of classic, contemporary Soul with the Hip Hop sensibilities that have defined his career (he was an MC for a decade, before he even considered singing).
The song came to being, somewhat appropriately, in a car. "I experienced a smooth ride through Hollywood with no red lights," Aloe recalls. "I had musicians and a producer waiting for me in a recording studio, so I was incredibly lucky, and started writing lyrics as we passed through each green light. For me, the song is about more than that: it signifies having a stroke of good fortune, and meeting no restrictions as you make your way through the day."
Whilst 'some days are just full of green lights', as he puts it, Aloe had to earn his own change in luck.
He famously wrote "I Need A Dollar" following a redundancy from his then-job, during which he still gigged furiously as an MC, searching for a break.
"Dollar" began to pick up extensive attention following its use on the HBO show, How to Make It in America, before impacting across Europe and the US.
Its release through Epic in May eventually led to an extraordinary eight weeks in the UK Top 10, where it peaked at number 2. The track is already nearing 400,000 sales in the UK, has picked up over 13 million Youtube hits for the official video, and was recently nominated for a Mojo Award for Best Song.
Having gained famous fans in the likes of Kanye West, Tinie Tempah and Paul McCartney - not to mention A-List success across Radio 1, Radio 2, 6Music and 1Xtra - Blacc has emerged as one of the year's most in-demand new artists.
Aloe Blacc is much more than the man who just stumbled into a smash hit. He is a stylish, charismatic and fiercely bright thinker, who cites the purpose of his music as 'positive social change.'
Having narrowly avoided a life spent in academia, Blacc wrote his latest album, 'Good Things', as a report on the present conditions: joblessness, homelessness, the misappropriation of wealth, and the lack of compassion are all addressed in his deceptively-smooth voice.
Highlights across the record include the heart-tugging, piano-led balladry of "Mama Hold My Hand" ("Mama used to be strong, but she ain't now"), a shimmering cover of The Velvet Underground's "Femme Fatale", and the beat-heavy pop of "Loving You Is Killing Me". And whilst "I Need A Dollar" introduced him to the masses, for Aloe himself, the real work starts here: "I want to open a door for a lot of good people."
Aloe Blacc - I Need A Dollar video:
Aloe Blacc 2011 UK tour dates:
(Dates and information subject to change.)
August 2011
August 5 Herefordshire Big Chill Festival
August 20 +21 Chelmsford/Staffordshire V Festival
December 2011
December 3 Birmingham HMV Institute
December 4 Leeds O2 Academy
December 5 Nottingham Rock City
December 7 Manchester Manchester Academy
December 8 Newcastle O2 Academy
December 9 Sheffield Plug
December 11 Liverpool O2 Academy
December 12 Glasgow ABC
December 14 Bristol Bristol Academy
December 15 London Hammersmith Apollo
December 16 Brighton Dome
Buy CDs, MP3s, more:
Aloe Blacc Official Website
Tweet
Follow @JennyMay
Search for CDs, Mp3s, more: Amazon.com
| Amazon.co.uk
Like on Facebook: www.facebook.com/BandWeblogs
Follow Music News on Twitter
More Music: JennyMay.com
