The second LP from the young French soul singer Alexis Evans, released March 8, 2019 on Italian deep-funk label Record Kicks. Recorded in Bordeaux, mixed in Sydney by Nate Goldentone of Dojo Cuts and The Liberators, and mastered in Los Angeles at Golden Mastering, it's an 11-track outing that pushes Evans further into the funk and gospel territory he'd flirted with on his 2016 debut Girl Bait. Evans was 25 when it dropped — and the press around the album made a half-serious case for Bordeaux as France's new capital of deep soul.
Evans has cited Allen Toussaint, Bobby Womack, and The Impressions as the touchstones he was reaching for in the writing and arrangements. The result lands somewhere between the New Orleans groove of Toussaint, the streetwise funk of Sly and The Family Stone, and the late-night ache of classic Memphis soul.
Cool stuff:
- Recorded in Bordeaux, mixed in Sydney by Dojo Cuts mainman Nate Goldentone, mastered in Los Angeles — a three-continent record made entirely by working soul-revival players
- Evans was just 25 at the time of release, with a voice that interviewers kept comparing to singers twice his age
- The album bridges deep soul opener "She Took Me Back" all the way to the closing rock-and-roll cut "Rock'N' Roll Healer," showing Evans' range from Otis Redding ballad territory to Jon Spencer-style howl
- Released on Record Kicks, the Milan label that's been quietly assembling a roster of Euro-soul revivalists alongside Aaron Frazer, The Sweet Vandals, and The Link Quartet
- Evans wrote and arranged the entire record himself over several months before going into the studio
Spin it for: young European soul that earns the comparisons, big horn arrangements, and a vocalist who clearly studied his Womack records.
Standouts: "She Took Me Back" · "Hey Mama" · "Why Don't You Stay" · "Rock'N' Roll Healer"
Sources: Record Kicks · Bandcamp · Record Kicks product page · Discogs