(September 18, 2020) Saxophonist Jermaine Lockhart seeks to bring some sunshine into the lives of his listeners. His new project, The Sunshine Album, drops digitally on September 18. The Sunshine Album includes originals and covers and finds him collaborating with an all-star cast of musicians, vocalists and is produced by Preston Glass and executive produced by none other than George Benson.
Each song on The Sunshine Album plays thematically off the theme of sunshine and many of them include the sunshine in the title, including classics such as “You Brought the Sunshine” and “Ain’t No Sunshine.” The track featured in this First Listen does not have the word sunshine in its title but is all about looking on the bright side.
(September 18, 2020) Saxophonist Jermaine Lockhart seeks to bring some sunshine into the lives of his listeners. His new project, The Sunshine Album, drops digitally on September 18. The Sunshine Album includes originals and covers and finds him collaborating with an all-star cast of musicians, vocalists and is produced by Preston Glass and executive produced by none other than George Benson.
Each song on The Sunshine Album plays thematically off the theme of sunshine and many of them include the sunshine in the title, including classics such as “You Brought the Sunshine” and “Ain’t No Sunshine.” The track featured in this First Listen does not have the word sunshine in its title but is all about looking on the bright side.
“Roll With It” is a track from Steve Winwood that transported horn infused driving beat from the 1960s into the late 1980s. It caught on because that style hadn’t been heard on pop radio in a while, and the message about adapting to circumstances and keep moving forward is more timely now than when the song climbed the charts.
In soul vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ellis Hall, Lockhart found a singer who embodies the song’s spirit. Hall’s life story is a testament to a man who embraces the ‘roll with it’ ethic. Doctors diagnosed Hall with congenital glaucoma at an early age. Despite being legally blind, Hall played football and wrestled until he lost his sight after sustaining an injury on the mat.
Hall’s family moved from Georgia to Boston so that he could attend a school for the blind, took piano lessons in third grade and then learned how to play several other instruments as a teenager, practicing with the lights off, anticipating a time when he would lose his sight.
Lockhart and Ellis create a dynamic combination on a classic song that is ripe for a new look. Check out “Roll With It” here.
By Howard Dukes
Jermaine Lockhart feat. Ellis Hall
"Roll With It"