André Bisson is in a romantic funk with his bluesy new single and video Missin’ You — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
The first taste of the Hamilton artist’s upcoming album The Ballad Of Lucy Stone, Missin’ You emphatically checks all the boxes of a killer, scathing blues track with a funkified soul. Bisson’s guitar is meaty and rhythmic, and his voice is primed with emotion and gravelly heartache. The horn section jumps in with searing melodic fills and the super tight rhythm section solidly ushers the whole song along at a pace guaranteed to inspire maximum groove.
“Missin’ You is about a man who has talked his way out of a good relationship and hopes that it’s not too late to fix it,” says the 2022 Hamilton Arts Award nominee. “There is a revelation that becomes clear: it’s not who we can live with but instead who we can’t live without … Sometimes it takes being deprived of that to realize just how truly special our relationship is. The hope is that this epiphany is realized before it’s too late.”
The Ballad Of Lucy Stone, due Sept. 30, is a tribute of sorts to a real, historic figure. Lucy Stone (1818-1893) was a women’s rights activist in Massachusetts. She was the first woman in the state to earn a college degree and became a vocal advocate and organizer for the women’s suffrage movement, which eventually led to passing the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote in the U.S. “The story of Lucy Stone reflects the theme of this album,” notes Bisson. “The road to change may be difficult, but many things worth doing often are. We must not avoid the obstacles in our lives but instead face them head on. Fear is only a reminder that we are working towards something worth fighting for.”
Bisson certainly exhibits fearlessness and pure joy when fronting his band that can range in size from six to 20 members. However, he’s a DIY artist when it comes to songwriting and arrangements. He’s the sole writer of all 10 tracks on The Ballad Of Lucy Stone and produced the album. He’s no one-man band in the studio though. While Bisson plays all the guitars and sings lead and some background vocals on this album, he was joined by Jesse O’Brien on piano and keyboards, Mike Rowell on bass guitar, Keagan Early on drums and other percussion, Pat Carey on tenor sax, Gordon Aeichele on tenor & baritone sax and clarinet, Loretta Hale on trumpet and cello, Shawn Moody on trumpet, Rob Somerville on trombone, Lizuarte De Sousa on flute, Kevin Matthews on clarinet, Dan Rodrigues on dobro, accordion and piano, Paul Barna on violin/viola and Theresa Hale-Charters, Quisha Wint and Selena Evangeline on background vocals.
The Ballad Of Lucy Stone will be the singer-songwriter’s ninth album since 2009 — an average of a new album every 18 months for the past 13 years. And all that hard work is delivering. Over those 13 years, Bisson has gained notoriety with awards such as Hamilton Blues Awards’ Male Vocalist Of The Year and Song Of The Year from Blues and Roots Radio. He was also selected by the Grand River Blues Society to compete at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis.
With 13 years of hard work behind him and many more ahead, he knows the work and dedication it takes to establish and grow in the music biz. Big changes do not happen overnight,” says Bisson. ”It is the little actions we take each day that make the difference.”
Watch Missin’ You above, sample more sounds from André Bisson below, and don’t miss him at his website, Facebook and Instagram.
