Grammy-winner Mike Farris returns to his rural upbringing in Tennessee with his new single, "Ease On," out on streaming services today. Blending vintage rock and soul with driving electric piano, it's the second single from The Sound of Muscle Shoals, Farris' first album since 2018’s Silver & Stone. "Ease On" channels a Sticky Fingers-era Stonesy vibe, with Farris's powerhouse vocals supported by the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and other stalwarts of ‘The Shoals’ recording scene—Clayton Ivey (keys), Will McFarlane, Kelvin Holly, Wes Sheffield (guitars), Jimbo Hart (bass), and Justin Holder (drums).
Produced by Farris, with FAME Studios’ Rodney Hall as executive producer, they captured lightning in a bottle, conjuring up the intrinsic magic of the "Muscle Shoals Sound" and wrapping it around Farris’s heartfelt and hardscrabble blue-eyed soul vocals and songwriting.
WATCH THE LYRIC VIDEO FOR "EASE ON" HERE
PRE-ORDER/PRE-SAVE THE SOUND OF MUSCLE SHOALS HERE
"'Ease On' is a song I’ve had for quite a while," Farris says. "It details my early life growing up in Franklin County, TN. We didn’t have much, and life always felt like a struggle. For many years, I found it hard to go back there. I’ve never been one to look back for long—my life has always been about moving forward and maintaining that momentum. But in a way, 'Ease On' pulled the curtain back and allowed me to take stock of where I came from and how I got here."
The Sound of Muscle Shoals finds Farris at his best, intertwining the threads of gospel and rock ‘n’ roll, faith and fire, the spiritual and the earthly—bringing to life what Rolling Stone Country described as his “supersized voice filled with the electricity of Saturday night and the godly grace of Sunday mornings.”
Farris will return to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville on Friday, April 4; scroll down for tour dates.
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"With a supersized voice filled with the electricity of Saturday night and the godly grace of Sunday mornings." — Rolling Stone Country
"…a collection of originals and covers that are deeply soulful and definitely uplifting." — NPR World Café Live
"There aren’t many current male singers who use their voices to soar, float, and deliver material with the spiritual commitment of Mike Farris." — American Songwriter Magazine
"Farris is enthralling onstage." — No Depression
"Mike Farris has enough heart, soul, and power to light up a city. He mixes up the elements and turns them into something new, beautiful, and uniquely his own." — Buddy Miller
"Mike Farris sings blue-eyed soul to soothe the spirit." — Associated Press
"Mike Farris is a soul man…way cool!" — Marty Stuart
MIKE FARRIS ON TOUR
(Solo shows indicated with an asterisk)
MAR 7 – Florence, AL – Flobama
MAR 8 – Nashville, TN – 3rd & Lindsley
MAR 16 – Cincinnati, OH – Ludlow Garage *
MAR 18 – Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark *
MAR 19 – Evanston, IL – SPACE *
MAR 21 – Kansas City, MO – Knuckleheads *
MAR 22 – St. Louis, MO – City Winery *
MAR 23 – Madison, WI – The Bur Oak *
MAR 24 – Milwaukee, WI – Shank Hall *
MAR 28 – Decatur, GA – Eddie's Attic *
APR 4 – Nashville, TN – Grand Ole Opry
