The Sound of Muscle Shoals, Grammy-winner Mike Farris’ first album since 2018’s Silver & Stone, marks a pilgrimage to the legendary Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Overseen by award-winning executive producer Rodney Hall (son of the iconic producer and record man Rick Hall), the album is a culmination of Farris’ musical influences and life lessons. Captured in a location deeply meaningful to him, the record was created in collaboration with members of the legendary Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and other session stalwarts of the area’s storied recording scene — including Clayton Ivey (keys), Will McFarlane, Kelvin Holly, Wes Sheffield (guitars), Jimbo Hart (bass), and Justin Holder (drums). Together, they bottled lightning, conjuring the intrinsic magic of the "Muscle Shoals Sound" and wrapping it around Farris’ heartfelt, hardscrabble blue-eyed soul vocals and songwriting.
Today, Farris releases the first single from the album, "Heavy On The Humble," which premiered at American Blues Scene. They write: “’Heavy On The Humble’ reminds us of life’s quiet, enduring beauty – with all its wear and tear. The song evokes echoes of nostalgia, with strong melodies and an unmistakable groove that draws on the artist’s country roots.”
STREAM/PURCHASE "HEAVY ON THE HUMBLE"
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The Sound of Muscle Shoals showcases Farris at his finest, intertwining gospel and rock ‘n’ roll, faith and fire, the spiritual and the earthly. As Rolling Stone Country described, his voice is “supersized, filled with the electricity of Saturday night and the godly grace of Sunday mornings.”
The album’s theme reflects on life’s lessons — hard-learned and hard-earned — and moving forward. “Ease On” revisits Farris’ early life growing up in Franklin County, Tennessee. “We didn’t have much, and life always felt like a struggle. For many years, I found it hard to go back there,” Farris admits. “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 mantra of “ease on” continues in “Bird in The Rain.”
“That song came to me, like many songs do, early in the morning around the kitchen table," Farris recalls. "When I left New York to move back to Tennessee, it was partly because I realized I couldn’t write the songs I needed to write up there. I had to get back home and feel the soil under my feet. 'Bird in The Rain' is proof of that. And 'Sunset Road' is about the futility of worry. That’s it in a nutshell. I have a sneaking suspicion that some of my songs are written directly at me, via the Great Spirit.”
“Bright Lights” was the last song written for the album. Farris explains, “The idea behind the song is that the musician's life is way more complicated than just what you see once the songs reach the stage. It takes thousands of hours alone, working on the craft — countless ups and downs, self-doubt, big moments that fill you with hope, and low moments that test every ounce of your mettle. It’s a deep, mysterious road we travel, one that only a relative few are crazy enough to endure, and it demands everything. In the end, it’s all we know. It’s all I’ve ever done, and I wouldn’t trade it for all the riches in the world.”
Farris is bringing his legendary Holiday Soul Review to select shows in the Southeast (see below). Look for 2025 tour dates to be announced soon, and check for updates at www.mikefarris.com.
TRACKLISTING
Ease On
Heavy On The Humble
Swingin’
I’ll Come Runnin’
Bird In The Rain
Slow Train
Bright Lights
Learning To Love
Her
Before There Was You & I
Sunset Road
