Jeff Rogers and love go together like a Lock & Key on his high-energy new blues-rock single and lyric video — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
The past few months have been quite wild ride for the Ottawa singer-songwriter and keyboard player. Last fall he had the thrill of opening for The Legendary Downchild Blues Band on their sold-out Ontario theatre tour, to great response. In February, he released his new album Dream Job, recorded in the revered music mecca of Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Stellar reviews on both sides of the border helped the album hit Top 5 on Canadian charts and put him on the map internationally. Now, he keeps the momentum going with the blazing number Lock & Key.
“Lock & Key is a song that captures the excitement I feel coming home from the road to see my partner,” he says. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and there’s honest appreciation in the lyrics with a hint of rose-coloured glasses masking a fear that one might have been gone too long. The rhythm and music represent the more primal longing upon return. It’s a fun song, and the band is electric, especially Kelvin Holly on guitar.
“I wanted to approach this song with a jam vibe. The chords aren’t complex. It really is about the train rolling down the tracks. This is one of the songs that benefited the most from being down in Muscle Shoals, utilizing musicians who breathe that bluesy southern rock vibe. As soon as we counted it in, we clicked with the right attitude, and Kelvin dug in. It was a super fun jam. A couple days later, Clayton Ivey came in the studio and put the finishing touches on the rhythm section with some well seasoned B3, and it all really came together. It was so fun having these guys on my album and listening to them add their own spices in the mix. Wishbone Studio has an incredible room, spacious and warm with all the vintage toys you need to capture that Alabama sound.”
Rogers’ unmistakably soulful voice often evokes weighty comparisons to titans of the past — be it Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles or even Otis Redding — yet, his tone, range, phrasing and sincerity make him unmistakably contemporary and totally original. On Dream Job, Rogers is accompanied by some legendary musicians, including guitarist Holly (Little Richard, Bobby Bland), Ivey (Staple Sisters, Thelma Houston), Justin Holder (Keb’ Mo’, Delbert McClinton) and Shonna Tucker (Booker T. Jones, Drive-By Truckers). Dream Job features special guest appearances by bluesman Colin Linden and Juno-winning singer Kellylee Evans.
Watch the lyric video for Lock & Key above, check out Dream Job below and find him on his website, Facebook and Instagram.
