Los Angeles-based, Boston-bred, singer-songwriter Alice Howe– who has been called by East Portland Blog, “the best and most distinctive voice to come along since Neko Case”– has released “Somebody’s New Lover Now,” the second single from her forthcoming LP, Circumstance, due out on April 21st. The song’s accompanying video features in-studio footage of Howe and the band recording at FAME in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, where the album was made. “‘Somebody’s New Lover Now’ came out of a phone call with my ex,” she explains. “It was months after I made the difficult decision to move on from the relationship, and the lyrics explore my conflicting feelings of jealousy, disbelief, sadness, and relief that he had finally done the same. But the uptempo musical arrangement, with its ringing electric guitars and Hammond B3 hooks, transformed this painful experience into an empowering, uplifting one,” she adds. “I feel that every time I listen to the recording and each time I sing it.”
“Somebody’s New Lover Now” follows lead single and video “What About You,” a track about a deep soul connection that goes way beyond the superficial, the hope that that person is out there, and a declaration that we don’t deserve anything less.
LISTEN // WATCH “SOMEBODY’S NEW LOVER NOW”
LISTEN // WATCH “WHAT ABOUT YOU”
Recorded in two sessions at the legendary FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, where the voices of icons like Aretha Franklin, Etta James, and Otis Redding once shook the walls, Circumstance channels their spirits with 11 stirring tracks that pull no punches diving into the vagaries of the heart and her own personal journey. As an old soul inside a 30-something millennial, the golden-voiced Howe puts her stamp on Americana’s venerable strands with 10 standout originals evoking both the classic singer-songwriters and the seminal music that once filled airwaves, roadhouses, and juke joints.
“There is so much history there, and I did feel like there was a certain amount of pressure to deliver and be a singer,” Howe recalls of FAME Studios. “I’m in this room with Aretha Franklin and Etta James looking down on me, and it’s like that Mona Lisa thing where the eyes follow you around the room and you’re like: ‘Hi, ladies!’ Those are singers with a capital S.”
Circumstance, produced and arranged by Howe’s creative partner, Freebo, a veteran bass player and former Bonnie Raitt band member, displays her vocal prowess and introspective writing in abundance, mining both her heart and her musical tastes for a deep, personal journey across an Americana soundscape dotted with blues, folk, country, soul, and rock.
The album is a personal, soulful nod to her influences and the music she loves, all of it sung old-school without auto-tuning. In spirit, it draws from admired singers – Alison Krauss or the 1970s Laurel Canyon circle — but its soul is pure Alice Howe.
Circumstance is available for pre-order at music.alicehowe.com/circumstance. In April, Alice Howe will celebrate the album’s release with a series of tour dates, see below for a full list of shows. Be sure to follow her at the links below for all the latest news and updates.
TOUR DATES– ALICE HOWE (WITH FREEBO)
April 12 – Parlor Room – Northampton, MA
April 13 – Argyle Brewing Co – Cambridge, NY
April 14 – Folkus Project – Syracuse, NY
April 15 – The Towne Crier – Beacon, NY
April 21 – Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3 – NYC*
April 23 – Kennett Flash – Kennett Square, PA
April 28 – The Burren – Somerville, MA*
May 2 – City Winery Nashville Lounge – Nashville, TN*
May 6 – McCabe’s Guitar Shop – Santa Monica, CA*
May 10 – MM House Show – Eugene, OR
May 11 – McMenamin’s White Eagle Saloon – Portland, OR
May 12 – Ballard Homestead – Seattle, WA
May 13 – Palindrome – Port Townsend, WA
* Full band
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