Son Little has released his fourth album CITYFOLK via Anti. The new album is an exploration of southern roots, and is co-produced with Ben Tanner (Alabama Shakes). Although Little is often placed in the category of “roots musician”, CITYFOLK defies genre and lets the evocation of his storytelling pierce through.
Praise for Son Little
“Son Little is one of the best songwriters working today. He’s honest, unique, thorough, and subtly elaborate. His voice slinks in through the spheres and suddenly he’s inside your soul, telling you the lay of the land.” – American Songwriter
Earlier this week Son Little shared album track ‘Whip the Wind’. ‘Whip the Wind’ grooves with Afro-Latin polyrhythms, its hook driven by a constant shaker and a silky synth melody that recalls early-1970s Stevie Wonder. But the song sticks to Little’s true form: despite its danceable feeling, the song is a call to recognize the human cost of power before it’s too late.
Son Little – ‘Whip The Wind’
Although often placed in the category of “roots musician”, on CITYFOLK, Little, who NPR praised for having “impeccably crafted songs,” continues to defy genre but lets the evocation of his storytelling pierce through. “The industry likes to keep artists in little boxes, and for Black artists it has meant being defined by your proximity to ‘urban,’” Little admits. “But my music has always had had flashes of country, rock and folk, as well as hip-hop, blues and R&B. So I’ve always struggled as an artist who kind of, I think, lives in the spaces between genres.”
Son Little – ‘Be Better’
This album is also an opportunity for listeners to discover Little as more than a vocalist, but a well-rounded artist who carefully balances DIY production, songwriting and vocal arranging. Now living outside of Atlanta, Livingston attributes the development of CITYFOLK to going even further south to record in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, in January 2025. It was there that Little, whose past collaborations include The Roots and RJD2, connected with two-time Grammy-winning musician and Alabama Shakes band member Ben Tanner to flesh out sketches of songs that he’d crafted through epiphanies about his family’s roots.
Son Little – ‘In Orbit’ (Live Acoustic Performance)
Son Little
CITYFOLK
Tracklisting
- Rabbit
2. Whip The Wind
3. Let’s Get Involved
4. It’s Your World
5. Cherry
6. Bottomless
7. Be Better
8. The Valley
9. In Orbit
10. Paper Children
11. Breathe
https://sonlittle.com/
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