{"id":47716,"date":"2019-03-06T17:09:31","date_gmt":"2019-03-06T17:09:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=47716"},"modified":"2019-03-06T17:09:32","modified_gmt":"2019-03-06T17:09:32","slug":"james-morrison-releases-new-soul-album-youre-stronger-than-you-know-this-friday-march-8th","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2019\/03\/james-morrison-releases-new-soul-album-youre-stronger-than-you-know-this-friday-march-8th\/","title":{"rendered":"JAMES MORRISON RELEASES NEW SOUL ALBUM \u2018YOU\u2019RE STRONGER THAN YOU KNOW\u2019 THIS FRIDAY MARCH 8TH"},"content":{"rendered":"

With two\u00a0#1\u00a0albums, five\u00a0Top 10\u00a0singles, a\u00a0BRIT\u00a0Award\u00a0and seven million records sold,\u00a0James\u00a0Morrison\u00a0is one of the biggest success stories of his era. He\u2019s now set for an exciting new chapter in his career with the release of his new album\u00a0\u2018You\u2019re Stronger Than You Know\u2019\u00a0on\u00a0March 8th<\/sup>\u00a0via\u00a0Stanley Park Records.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

<\/ins><\/p>\n

The album is today previewed with the release of its lead single\u00a0\u2018My Love Goes On\u2019. An impassionate modern soul anthem, the conversational confessional finds\u00a0Morrison<\/span>\u2019s\u00a0once-in-a-generation vocals complemented by\u00a0Joss Stone.\u00a0Their connection goes back to when she presented him with the\u00a0BRIT\u00a0Award\u00a0for\u00a0British\u00a0Male\u00a0Solo\u00a0Artist\u00a0in\u00a02007. The track is accompanied by an official video, which captures a beautiful performance from\u00a0James\u00a0and\u00a0Joss\u00a0in a recording studio in\u00a0Chicago.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI always love working with people, especially when they have a wicked voice like Joss,\u201d\u00a0he says.\u00a0\u201cShe\u2019s from the same musical heritage as me. I’m excited to celebrate soul music with another artist who is recognised for soul.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Harking back to the\u00a0Stax\u00a0and\u00a0Motown\u00a0eras that he loves,\u00a0\u2018You\u2019re Stronger Than You Know\u2019\u00a0is the album that\u00a0James\u00a0Morrison\u00a0has always wanted to make. Vocally he\u2019s never sounded better, with his honest songwriting inspiring a voice that exudes power, tenderness and experience. His band, meanwhile, hit that life-affirming sweet spot between rambunctious energy and tight musicianship.<\/p>\n

While the album possesses some darker moments, the overriding feeling is that it offers a beacon of positivity in a climate of bad news. You wouldn\u2019t guess that these songs emerged from such a turbulent time in his life.<\/p>\n

Everything threatened to collapse around him as he worked on a follow-up to his\u00a02015\u00a0set\u00a0\u2018Higher Than Here\u2019. His relationship with his long-term partner\u00a0Gill\u00a0hit tough times and he lost his natural songwriting instinct. His previous label was pushing him to write uplifting music when he was in the pits of despair. He also wanted to stand apart from the rush of male singer-songwriters who had followed in his wake.<\/p>\n

Writing songs with no particular end goal in mind,\u00a0Morrison\u00a0gradually overcame his struggles until he realised that he had some of the best material of his career \u2013 and more than enough to make an album.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a collection which sees\u00a0Morrison\u00a0bravely digging into his emotions over the past four years. It\u2019s particularly striking in the powerful centrepiece\u00a0\u2018Slowly\u2019, in which he questions how to reignite his creativity and tackles his tumultuous upbringing with his parents.<\/p>\n

Family is also a consistent theme throughout the record. The uplifting closing ballad\u00a0\u2018Until The Stars Go Out\u2019\u00a0was written in support of his eldest daughter when she was bullied in school, while other songs \u2013 notably\u00a0\u2018So Beautiful\u2019\u00a0and\u00a0\u2018Power\u2019\u00a0\u2013 celebrate his love and appreciation for\u00a0Gill. He wrote\u00a0\u2018So Beautiful\u2019\u00a0with\u00a0Gary\u00a0Barlow\u00a0a decade ago, but only recently discovered that the song spoke to his current feelings. And\u00a0\u2018Power\u2019, a lyric from which gives the album its title, celebrates the fact that the couple have achieved so much by overcoming challenging times.<\/p>\n

For the first time in his career,\u00a0Morrison\u00a0made the record with one producer (Mark Taylor) which infuses it with a cohesiveness that\u2019s a hallmark of all of the classic albums.\u00a0British\u00a0Grove\u00a0Studios in\u00a0London\u00a0provided the perfect location for recording with a balance between vintage equipment and modern technology. The core of the album was recorded within a week, before a second was spent adding the finishing touches \u2013 overdubs, backing vocals and horns.<\/p>\n

Set to be released on CD and digital formats,\u00a0\u2018You\u2019re Stronger Than You Know\u2019\u00a0is now available to pre-order here<\/a>, with\u00a0\u2018My Love Goes On\u2019\u00a0provided as an instant download.<\/p>\n

James<\/span>\u00a0Morrison<\/span>\u00a0has also announced details of his first full UK tour in three years, which includes a\u00a0London\u00a0show at the\u00a0O2 Shepherd\u2019s Bush Empire.<\/p>\n

UK and Irish tour dates:<\/strong><\/p>\n

MARCH<\/strong><\/p>\n

25th<\/sup>\u00a0\u2013 Norwich, UEA<\/strong><\/p>\n

26th<\/sup>\u00a0\u2013 Bexhill, De La Warr Pavilion<\/strong><\/p>\n

27th<\/sup>\u00a0\u2013 London, O2 Shepherd\u2019s Bush Empire<\/strong><\/p>\n

29th<\/sup>\u00a0\u2013 Bristol, O2 Academy<\/strong><\/p>\n

30th<\/sup>\u00a0\u2013 Birmingham, O2 Institute<\/strong><\/p>\n

APRIL<\/strong><\/p>\n

1st<\/sup>\u00a0\u2013 Glasgow, Old Fruitmarket<\/strong><\/p>\n

2nd<\/sup>\u00a0\u2013 Manchester, Albert Hall<\/strong><\/p>\n

4th – Dublin, Olympia Theatre<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

JUNE<\/b><\/p>\n

16<\/b>th<\/sup><\/b>\u00a0\u2013 Essex, Live at Down Hall<\/b><\/p>\n

James<\/span>\u00a0Morrison<\/span>\u00a0is also set to play his first\u00a0South African\u00a0shows in\u00a0Johannesburg\u00a0and\u00a0Cape\u00a0Town\u00a0later this month, as well as a major outdoor show at\u00a0Hamburg\u2019s\u00a0Stadtpark\u00a0Open\u00a0Air\u00a0on\u00a0July\u00a029th<\/sup>. Please see his official website<\/a> for a full list of international tour dates and ticket details.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You can find James Morrison online on his official website<\/a>, Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, Spotify<\/a>, and YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n
\"James