THE PRESS RELEASE: “The Blind Boys of Alabama have released their first album in three years, entitled Almost Home. The 12-song collection serves as a fitting capstone to a seven-decade career that has both defined the sound of the American South and pushed it forward from the 20th century and into the 21st. Almost Home was recorded over four different sessions with four different Grammy-winning producers in four different cities. The album is composed primarily of original songs, which focus on the remarkable journey of the band’s two surviving original members, long-time leader Clarence Fountain, and current leader Jimmy Carter. It features songwriting contributions from an exceptional collection of artists including Valerie June, North Mississippi Allstars, Phil Cook, John Leventhal, Marc Cohn, Ruthie Foster and more. Leventhal (Rosanne Cash, William Bell) recorded with the Blind Boys and their band in New York City, Vance Powell (Chris Stapleton, Jack White) in Nashville, Chris Goldsmith (Charlie Musselwhite, Ben Harper) in Seattle, and Los Lobos’ Steve Berlin (Faith No More, Buckwheat Zydeco) at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals. Almost Home succeeds in looking backwards, while still sounding as vital and modern as ever. From the propulsive, piano-pounding groove of I Kept on Walking to the album’s shining, soul-filled title track, the epic story of the struggles and triumphs of the octogenarian original members is revealed. A stripped-down, gorgeous cover of Bob Dylan’s I Shall Be Released and an upbeat version of Billy Joe Shaver’s Live Forever, both of which fit the theme, help to round out the tracklist.”
