New Orleans soul legend Aaron Neville has released a new album, Apache, the first in his multi-decade career to solely feature the singer’s original material. Produced by the multiple Grammy-winning artist/producer Eric Krasno (Soulive, Lettuce, Tedeschi Trucks Band), Apache is his debut for Tell It Records and Kobalt Label Services as well as Neville’s first release since 2013’s My True Story, a tribute to the classic doo-wop era. The new album also celebrates two landmarks in Neville’s life, his 75th birthday last January and the upcoming 50th anniversary of his breakthrough hit, the ballad “Tell It Like It Is,” which peaked at #2 on the Billboard singles chart.
Neville, a founding member of the now-defunct Neville Brothers, will tour the U.S. this year in support of the record, highlighted by a 75th birthday performance August 4 at Harlem’s historic Apollo Theater, with special guests Ivan Neville (The Neville Brothers), Krasno and others to be announced soon. Other dates include performances in Chicago, San Francisco, Austin, Atlanta and more. See below for the complete tour itinerary.
Recorded in Brooklyn, Apache finds Neville moving away from his trademark romantic ballad sound with a handful of tracks he describes in the announcement as “more gritty…[with] the New Orleans feel.” He adds, “One song talks about my roots, ‘Stompin’ Ground.’ It names a lot of real people that were in my life at different points in time. Another one, ‘Orchid In the Storm,’ was inspired by my wife Sarah; she’s been my orchid in a storm, and still is. Another song is ‘Heaven,’ from a poem I wrote a while back. My inspirations come from real things in life and I have many more where these came from.”
Among the musicians accompanying Neville on the album are horn men David Guy, Cochemea Gastelum, Ryan Zoidis and Eric Bloom.
Apache Track List
Be Your Man
All Of The Above
Orchid In The Storm
Stompin’ Ground
Heaven
Hard To Believe
Ain’t Gonna Judge You
I Wanna Love You
Sarah Ann
Make Your Momma Cry
Fragile World
Aaron Neville Tour Dates (Click here for tickets):
July 15 — Chicago, IL — City Winery
July 22 & 23 — Atlanta, GA — City Winery
Aug 4 — New York, NY — Apollo Theater (75th Birthday Concert + 50th Anniversary of “Tell It Like It Is”)
Aug 6 — Atlantic City, NJ — Golden Nugget
Sept 16 — Cincinnati, OH — Live at Ludlow Garage
Sept 23 — Durham, NC — Baldwin Auditorium
Sept 24 — Wilmington, NC — CFCC Humanities & Fine Arts Center
Oct 7 — Brownfield, ME — Stone Mountain Arts
Oct 8 — Lincolnville, ME — Cellardoor Winery
Oct 22 — Reno, NV — MontBleu Resort & Casino
Nov 11 — Austin, TX — Paramount Theatre
Nov 12 – Spring, TX – Cypress Creek FACE
Dec 3 — Bossier City, LA — Margaritaville Resort & Casino
Dec 9 — Baton Rouge, LA — L’Auberge Casino
Dec 10 — Rancho Cucamonga, CA — Lewis Family Playhouse
Dec 11 — Orange, CA — Musco Center
Dec 13 — Redding, CA — Cascade Theatre
Dec 15 & 16 — San Francisco, CA — SF Jazz Center
Dec 17 — Santa Rosa, CA — Luther Burbank Center
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