Jake Isaac’s three solo albums have put him at the front of the
British soul renaissance, leading to acclaim from
Sting and
Sir Elton John, a collaboration with
India.Arie, and a celebrated
Glastonbury set. Even before setting out on his own path, he had shown a unique talent, writing and performing in his teens for
Gabrielle and
Blue before becoming
Duffy’s musical director. But now
Jake Isaac looks towards his new chapter by revisiting his roots, starting with today’s release of his new single
‘GOOD MAN’. Listen
HERE.The soul-stirring ‘GOOD MAN’ pulsates with feeling, from Jake’s renowned and refined vocal class to the vibrant warmth of its old school live R&B instrumentation. It’s also notable for Jake presenting a twist upon his talents by putting his patois accent in the spotlight – a representation and a celebration of the family heritage that helps to make him the man and the artist he now is. That adds another engaging personal touch to a song inspired by his father, the Reverend Les Isaac OBE, and the wider Windrush generation whose determination allowed them to flourish in a new environment despite the immense obstacles that they faced.
Jake says, “In our grandparents’ generation the term ‘good man’ spoke of family constructs, community, resilience. In the Windrush generation there were a lot of people who had to work out to be good men and good women to survive. My dad is from Antigua and my mum is from St. Kitts, so the song speaks for those West Indians who set life up for our generation.”
Jake wrote ‘GOOD MAN’, which was then co-produced and mixed by Ian Barter (Dermot Kennedy, Amy Winehouse). It was recorded at Eastcote Studios, London, with a live band featuring drummer Junior Kirton (Jackson Five, Leona Lewis), organist Gavin Powell (Stormzy, Emeli Sandé) and horn arrangements from Kat Deal, also known as Litening,music director for Fleur East.
‘GOOD MAN’ opens up the next era in Jake’s tale. Balancing two key passions in his life – crafting modern soul epics, and being a husband and father of three young children – the cheerful south Londoner’s upcoming music has allowed him to uncover who he really is. And that offers much to celebrate: not only from his own family and upbringing, but for all those people who share similar backgrounds.
