For the past two years, local R&B/blues/soul singer-songwriter James Lee Murray has been slinging his guitar and keyboard to shows (and for the past seven months, his kick drum, as well). Shuffling through genres, he has created a dynamic one-man band with a gentle, intimate sound.
But his debut album, Resonate, is a whole different beast—backed by a full band, Murray passionately performs vintage sounding mid-70s R&B tunes. The session was recorded at San Jose’s Greaseland Studios by acclaimed producer Kid Andersen, who worked with a global network of musicians. This lively, retro vibe is their specialty.
“That’s Kid Andersen’s wheelhouse. I was very open to all the stylistic ideas,” Murray says. “They’re all my tunes, but the aesthetic of it—a big part of that is Kid putting his thumbprint on it. And I really love that. I feel really proud to have gone through that filter.”
It’s not totally out of the blue for the singer. For seven years, he sang lead vocals in West Coast Soul, a soul tribute band lead by his dad, and backed by his dad’s buddies. But he’d always itched to start his own solo career with his original music.
“I’ve been writing music for a long time. The solo project was inevitable. It’s almost all entirely new material,” Murray says. “It’s soul and R&B, and blues, but more of my music, moving stylistically into a direction that I’ve been craving.”
8pm Saturday, Jan. 25, Lille Aeske, 13160 Hwy 9, Boulder Creek. $15. 703-4183.
