JC Brooks exploded into Chicagoans' consciousness in 2010 with a smooth-as-silk re-imagining of Wilco's "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart". It was a damn near perfect introduction to the version of retro-soul that he and his band The Uptown Sound were offering just year into the Obama era.
But digging deeper after this intro, listeners would soon realize that Brooks was an artist that wouldn't stay still.
Now with a different namesake band (The JC Brooks Band), the singer is harnessing that easy-to-listen-voice and marrying it with some hard truths about race and the political reality of 2018 America.
The new EP, Red Black & Blue (Vol. 1), is an echo of a bygone era, when soul artists like Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye fused the prevailing fight for social justice in the 70s with ambitious production, show-stopping vocals, and a soulful message.
We're happy to be able to debut the entire EP at Tomorrow's Verse. Queue up this stream and you'll find classic musical elements from decades ago mashed up with universal tales of the black experience today, all tied together with a freshness and urgency that speaks directly to coping with a very real 2018 reality.
The EP drops digitally tomorrows, and the JC Brooks Band will perform at Chop Shop to celebrate the release.
