“Country-trap iconoclast” (Grammy.com) Willie Jones will release Something To Dance To – his major label debut album – June 16 via Sony Music Nashville in partnership with The Penthouse. Pre-save/pre-add the gratitude-filled project and listen to the uplifting title track HERE.
“Something To Dance To personifies me and what I’m really about, which is bringing electricity, positive vibes and celebrating,” said Jones. “Ever since I was a kid, I liked to get the energy up and change the vibration of a room. If we’re gonna show up, let’s show out and have some fun!”
On Something To Dance To, Shreveport’s finest explores emotional facets that he says “represent every part of me” but each carries a central theme of finding joy in life’s experiences. It’s a celebration of it all: the highs and lows, the loves and losses, the starts and ends, and the connective tissue of just being human. Lacing traditional country soundscapes of steel guitar, banjo, and harmonica with Jones’ signature Louisiana hip-hop gumbo, the resulting sonic heartbeat reflects a man whose upbringing molded him into an innovator who bridges the Block Party and the Barn Dance.
“The album dissects all of me: the turnt up Willie Jones, broken hearted, being a little irresponsible, bringing the party, or just realizing that all of this is a temporary moment in time and I’m growing and hopefully learning,” he observed.
Kicking off with intricate twangy plucking, “Something To Dance To” sets the tone as the project’s up-tempo title track. Written by Jones with Eric Arjes and Cary Barlowe, the song references everything from Motown to trap and Marley to Springsteen. Accented with the emotive whines of a steel guitar, it’s a joyful declaration of a special kind of unity, reminding us that music is what brings people together.
Jones recently wrapped his STICKS AND SWAMP TOUR with co-headliner RVSHVD, playing the treks’ final night at Nashville’s storied Exit/In. Next up, he’ll appear at festivals including CMA Fest and Golden Sky, and Bourbon & Beyond throughout the summer.
SOMETHING TO DANCE TO TRACKLIST
1. Down by the Riverside (Willie Jones/Jason Afable/Josh Logan)
2. Something To Dance To (Willie Jones/Eric Arjes/Cary Barlowe)
3. I Can’t Complain (Willie Jones/Curt Chambers/Lamar “MyGuyMars” Edwards/Jared Sciullo)
4. Lil Vibe (Willie Jones/Jesse B. Thomas/Aaron Zuckerman)
5. Slow Cookin’ (Willie Jones/Jason Afable/Phillip Fender/Zak Waters/Hank Williams)
6. Easy (Willie Jones/Nick Autry/Eric Olson)
7. Them Girls Do (Willie Jones/Nick Autry/Justin Ebach)
8. Soul Food (Willie Jones/Jason Afable/Josh Logan)
9. No Tellin’ (Willie Jones/James McNair/Chris Stevens/Lamar “MyGuyMars” Edwards)
10. Let’s Be a Love Song (Willie Jones/Jeffrey Joseph East/JD Walker/Zak Waters)
11. Get Low, Get High (Willie Jones/Cary Barlowe/Brandon Day)
