New music from New Orleans legend Ivan Neville

So excited to get some new music from Ivan Neville - after all, it's been nearly 20 years since his last solo release...

Not that he hasn't been busy (some would say prolific) with other projects between then & now - Neville has been working steady with his band Dumpstaphunk since 2003 & he's worked with folks like Don Henley, Robbie Robertson & Delbert McClinton along the way as well as touring with the Spin Doctors for a bit. He also appeared with the New Orleans Social Club on the benefit Sing Me Back Home after Katrina as well as the Fats Domino tribute disc Goin' Home. He even appeared in the Nola documentary Make It Funky! that explored the music & culture that is so unique to the Crescent City.

This new solo album, Touch My Soul, is a 10-song collection that celebrates Neville’s emotional and spiritual journey as an artist, a human, a father, and a man & features special guest appearances by Bonnie Raitt, Michael McDonald, Aaron Neville, Cyril Neville, Trombone Shorty, David Shaw and members of Preservation Hall.

Standout track contained within include "Greatest Place on Earth" which is a a deliriously Mardi Gras-styled salute that is packed with incisive rhythms, booting horn parts, and vocal fireworks, featuring special guests Trombone Shorty along with Preservation Hall Jazz bandleaders Ben Jaffe and Charlie Gabriel. The track "Hey All Together" features contributions from Ivan's dad Aaron, along with Bonnie, Michael McDonald & instrumental sparks from Troy “Trombone Shorty’ Andrews and violinist Theresa Anderson. The album’s latest single is its lone cover, a hypnotizing version of the Talking Heads’ "This Must Be the Place," which fits like the final piece of this musical jigsaw puzzle.

The record exudes an unmistakable New Orleans ambiance while breathing new life into Neville’s singular sound. As a standard bearer for the musical culture of New Orleans, Ivan takes his responsibility as seriously as the swamp water that courses through his veins. He embodies the irrepressible spirit of New Orleans, holding the keys to the Nola at his fingertips. Whether summoning the barrelhouse mambo of Professor Longhair, the spidery intricacies of James Booker; or spooky, atmospheric chords like Dr. John; Ivan can riff like Sly Stone with catchy, melodic chord progressions; or throw intense, impulsive jabs when he jams.

The lyrics and compositions on the disc reflect the maturity that Neville has amassed over the years... Ivan’s blood line runs through two of the most influential groups that New Orleans has ever produced, and he grew up playing with them both. His uncle Art “Poppa Funk” Neville was vocalist and keyboardist with the Meters, the seminal New Orleans funk band and one of modern music’s most sampled groups. Art also founded the Neville Brothers with Ivan’s uncles Charles and Cyril, and Ivan’s father, the world renown balladeer and vocal stylist Aaron Neville. The Nevilles’ musical range not only spanned generations but also idioms like carnival rhythms, pop, soul, R&B, and jazz; their collective identity galvanized New Orleans's cultural life to create a musical identity that focused their individual gifts with grace and grit. And while Ivan grew up playing the music of his family, this latest release delivers another chapter of his own songbook and musical DNA.

"Touch My Soul" is not unlike a good bowl of homemade gumbo & is very soothing for the Definitely a record you should track down & check out!

Here are a couple of tracks: