Curtis Harding – Soul Power

Curtis Harding is an American singer and songwriter. He describes his genre as “slop ‘n’ soul”, joining soul music with blues, gospel, psychedelia, R&B, and rock. “Slop” symbolizes Southern culture (“that’s what you give to pigs”), and soul represents the music of his youth. His musical style has elements that are not usually found in soul, like synthesizers and a psychedelic feel. Both of his studio albums include soft strings under his “cooing vocals”; on other songs, his “strong, passionate vocal style” moves into the falsetto range with spirited brass blazing. In addition to his mother (an evangelical Gospel-singer), Harding has said that his influences include Mahalia Jackson, MC Lyte, Bob Dylan, Albert King, the Everly Brothers, and Ronnie Dyson. In 2015, Michael Hann of The Guardian cited Harding among “the new stars of classic soul”. Soul Power is the debut studio album by American singer Curtis Harding, released May 6, 2014, by Burger Records. It encompasses a wide breadth of genres, though it is primarily inspired by soul music and his mother’s gospel singing. Soul Power is his debut studio album, released in 2014. According to Harding, many songs of Soul Power are inspired by relationships with his family and friends. and he sought to make the album accessible to broad audiences by incorporating many genres. Examples of other genres include the indie rock guitar part of “I Don’t Wanna Go Home”; the garage rock groove of “Drive My Car”; the disco style of “Heaven’s on the Other Side”. Classic rock and roll is featured in “Surf” (a song inspired by The Walking Dead) and “I Don’t Wanna Go Home” in contrast to the balladry of “Castaway”. The lyrics of the somber, gospel-inspid song “Freedom” imply a connection with roots of soul music and slavery. “Keep on Shining” is shaped by a dynamic rhythm reminiscent of northern soul paired with brass flair and falsetto backing vocals.

Label: Anti-
Cat. # 7396-1