Valerie June Announces New EP, Brighter Blue, Out September 11th Via Concord
Singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Valerie June announces her new EP, Brighter Blue, out September 11th via Concord, and releases its lead single “Smokestack,” which reinterprets blues classics “Smokestack Lightning” and “In the Pines.” Brighter Blue finds June journeying through the American songbook. In addition to “Smokestack,” June interprets “I’ll Fly Away” and "Trouble In Mind,” the latter of which features Sam Amidon on fiddle, banjo, and backing vocals. These songs mark a return to June’s early work weaving blues, folk, gospel, rock, and grunge; June honors tradition while pushing into new territory.
June comments: “Few songs have traveled as far and wide as ‘Smokestack Lightning.’ Since Howlin' Wolf's landmark 1956 recording, it has been embraced by generations of artists across blues, rock, folk, psychedelia, and grunge. Inspired by that tradition of reinvention, I gathered a blazing electric band to forge our own path through the song. We fused the haunting imagery of ‘In the Pines’ popularized by Lead Belly, the visceral edge of Nirvana, and the electrifying spirit of Sister Rosetta Tharpe's guitar work into a single roaring performance. The result is a road-tested blend of roots music and rock 'n' roll that feels equally at home in the Mississippi Delta and on a sun-baked American highway.”
Watch the Visualizer for “Smokestack”
An author, poet, Grammy®-nominated singer-songwriter and three-time Americana Music Honors and Awards nominee, the “resolutely upbeat” (New York Times) Valerie June has been praised by Bob Dylan, written music for Mavis Staples, and shared the stage with Willie Nelson, Dinosaur Jr., John Prine, Tyler Childers, Brandi Carlile, Elvis Costello, Robert Plant, Meshell Ndegeocello, and well beyond. June was also recently the subject of an exhibit at the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) in Nashville featuring artifacts from her storied career.
Last year, June released Owls, Omens, and Oracles via Concord, which led to widespread acclaim and packed shows on her Owls, Omens, and Oracles tour across the country. Us Weekly called the album “an exercise in finding happiness,” while Bandcamp claimed, “there’s never been a better time for the openhearted messages at the core of Owls, Omens, and Oracles.”
Valerie June is currently supporting Ani DiFranco on her west coast tour before playing several festivals and her own North American headline tour. On September 18th at Americanafest in Nashville, she will be in conversation with NPR Music’s Ann Powers at the Women & Guitars panel. Of June’s live show, the Chicago Tribune raves, “from sing-songy gospel to guttural roots rock to lovelorn Americana, June blended the sonic diversity of her career for a show that demonstrated how singularly talented she is.”