The Memphis, Tennessee blues powerhouse Eric Gales today reveals his smokin’ hot new single “You Shouldn’t Have Left Me.” You can watch the video HERE. The song drops on the day his new album, ‘A Tribute To LJK – a powerful and moving homage to his late brother Manuel Gales – is digitally available HERE
The album will be physically available on 24 October, also via Provogue and features appearances by Buddy Guy, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Joe Bonamassa, Roosevelt Collier and Josh Smith.
There comes a time when every musician must look their past squarely in the eye. And while Gales’ latest release, Tribute To LJK, is a thrillingly modern record for the here and now, it’s also a nod to his bloodline and the roots of his family tree. “This record has been a long time coming,” he says of the speaker-rattling release co-produced by Bonamassa and Josh Smith. “I wanted it to be the ultimate tribute to my late brother, Little Jimmy King, to keep his memory alive and make sure people remember who he was and still is. All of these songs, except one, are his originals. I wanted to deliver his tunes to the world through my eyes. And I wanted it to be badass – and that’s exactly how it turned out.”
Talking about the new single and album opener, he says, “That’s a real blues-club burner with a ‘Blues Is Alright’ kinda vibe. The first voice you hear is my brother Danuel, who is Little Jimmy’s twin, and there’s a very significant reason I did that, because they sound exactly alike. So my brother’s voice starts this whole record, and there’s a huge sentimental value in that. That song turned out really well, and I think it’s a strong opener – it has very high energy.”
“You Shouldn’t Have Left Me” follows his previous single “Don’t Wanna Go Home,” which featured Joe Bonamassa. With an infectious, slinky groove and fiery fretwork, it whips you up into a swaggering song about taking your paycheque out on the town. The first single taken from the album “Somebody” (feat. Buddy Guy and Roosevelt Collier) is particularly special.. Talking about the song, he says, “It’s just a really dope song, man, and I thought it was a great way to end the record. Buddy Guy is a legend, and that idea was actually mentioned by my wife, LaDonna. She said, ‘I think you should see if Buddy is available. We don’t know how much time any of us has, so while you have the opportunity, you should give it a shot.’ So we went for it, and he said, ‘Yeah.’ He knew my brother, and they played together, so I think it was easy for him to agree to do this song – and the rest is history.”
The blues is an ecosystem, and it’s a measure of the respect commanded by both Eric and his fabled older brother, real name Manuel, who sadly passed away in 2002, that these ten explosive covers are delivered by an all-star cast with deep ties to the project. If you weren’t already familiar with the jaw-dropping life’s work of Little Jimmy King, Eric Gales’ new album lays it all out there for the world to hear.
