BILL LEVERTY GETS BLUESY AND FUNKY ON ‘DEEP SOUTH’
With his guitar work as a member of FireHouse, Bill Leverty set the rock world ablaze with his fiery riffs and solos. But Leverty is no one-trick pony, as evidenced by his new solo release, ‘Deep South.’ Instead of focusing on the arena-ready rockers that his full-time band specializes in, ‘Deep South’ is steeped in tough blues and southern rock sounds – bringing to mind such legendary names as ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the Allman Brothers. “When you hear the songs in context, you’ll hear that this is not a typical hard rock/heavy metal album,” explains Leverty. “On this one, I tried to let the music tell ME how to sound, not the other way around. There are so many different instruments on this album that I have never recorded before. This album is a chance for me to stretch out as a musician, singer, producer and engineer.”
In addition to supplying guitar, Leverty also handles lead vocal duties, as well as incorporating such uncommon instruments as a guitarelele and dobro into the mix. Instead of whipping up a batch of tunes that replicate the sounds of the south, Leverty opted to go right to the source. “Most of these songs have been around for about 100 years,” says Leverty. “I have a great new appreciation for the American music of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, and I wanted to put my twist on it.” Featured is the album-opening “Trouble So Hard” (of which was made popular by Moby, who sampled some of the original in his hit single, “Natural Blues”), as well as the album’s first video, “Boll Weevil,” the sweet acoustic strum of “Walk Beside Me,” the muscular blues rock of “Samson and Delilah,” and a finger-snappin’ jazzy reading of the Ray Charles classic, “Hit the Road Jack” (which includes some impressive piano playing from Leverty, as well as vocals from his wife, Kris). Additionally, Le
verty’s grandfather’s artwork adjourns the album’s front cover.
You will find yourself playing this album over and over again. It is destined to become a classic, possibly creating a new musical swath, and the CD belongs in the collection of every person who loves music, especially guitar. The album is very deep, and it seems Leverty has aptly entitled it, ‘Deep South.’
Confirmed Tracklisting for ‘Deep South’
Trouble So Hard
Run On
Boll Weevil
Nine Hundred Miles
Samson And Delilah
Walk Beside Me
Hit The Road Jack
Rain And Snow
Wade In The Water
Man Of Constant Sorrow
For more information (as well as song samples and ordering info), visit:
www.leverty.com
To view the album’s first video, “Boll Weevil,”click here http://infobot.com/youtube/watch?v=1fm4nR_gkPA