“Strange Times” by Omar Coleman
Best American Roots Song
“Omar is steeped in the classic blues sounds of his home city yet unafraid to take them in a more contemporary direction.”– LIVING BLUES MAGAZINE
“Curiosity and refusal to be confined to a singular scene have proven to be pillars of longevity in Coleman’s career.” – AMERICAN BLUES SCENE
“When Coleman’s Chicago West Side blues locks into Roberts’ West Coast funky soul, these “Strange Times” become not so strange. Give it a listen.” – SOUL TRACKS
“Stange Times” is a reflection of initial conversations Omar Coleman had with Eddie Roberts during Coleman’s 2020 sessions at Color Red Studios (Denver, CO) testifying the bizarre state of America amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The exchange kept running back to the strange times that they were living in and Coleman took the stanza and ran with it. He immediately compiled lyrics he scribbled out on pieces of paper and knocked out lyrics from start to finish. Roberts approached the album combining classic blues with funkier blues and captured the rawness and immediacy of the music by recording through tape on Color Red Studios’ Tascam 388. “I hear Omar’s voice as a cross between Muddy Waters and Charles Bradley,” he states, “I tried to reflect those qualities in music approach and songwriting as well as the way we recorded the album and built the instrumentation of the tracks.” Joining Coleman and Roberts on “Strange Times” are Dan Africano (Ghost Light) on bass, Chris Spies (Matador! Soul Sounds) on keyboards and organ, Carl Sorenson (Dragondeer) on drums, Eric Bloom (Lettuce) on trumpet, Nick Gerlach (Michal Menert) on saxophone, Adrienne Short on viola and Kari Clifton on violin. ‘Eddie Roberts presents Omar Coleman: Strange Times’ comes out in summer 2021.
OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO
Directed by Jason Melino
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Performers: Omar Coleman, Eddie Roberts, Dan Africano, Carl Sorenson, Chris Spies, Eric Bloom, Nick Gerlach, Adrienne Short
Tracking Engineer: Eddie Roberts
Mixing Engineer: Eddie Roberts
Mastering Engineer: Doug Krebs
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