Neal Francis – Changes (Teal Francis Vinyl)

ABOUT THE LP“I just wanted to be honest about everything, from my musicalinfluences to my story,” muses Neal Francis. After years of dishonestliving—consumed by drugs, alcohol, and addiction—such sincerity isjarring from the 30-year-old Chicago-based musician. Liberated from aself-destructive past and born anew in sobriety, Francis has capturedan inspired collection of songs steeped in New Orleans rhythms,Chicago blues, and early 70s rock n’ roll. There is a deep connectionbetween Francis’s childhood—his obsession with boogie woogiepiano, his father’s gift of a dusty Dr. John LP—and the songs he’screated. The result is an astonishing collection of material withoutparallel in the contemporary funk and soul scene. The influences areunmistakable: the vocal stylings of Allen Toussaint and Leon Russell;the second line rhythms of The Meters and Dr. John; the barroom rock‘n’ roll of The Rolling Stones; the gospel soul of Billy Preston; the rootsmusic of The Band. Francis pays tribute to the m