Solomon Burke

LOS ANGELES, CA -- The King of Rock and Soul SOLOMON BURKE completes his 21st Century trilogy of classic music with a 14 song CD of poignant country songs--aptly titled Nashville. Fittingly, the release was produced in Nashville by Grammy-nominated, revered songwriter, musician and producer Buddy Miller. This collection of earnest, passionate, uplifting, joyous and sometimes mournful tracks will be released on Shout! Factory September 26th, Burke's second recording for the label. Nashville has both the vintage feel of his early recordings melded with his most recent, yet the album is like nothing Burke has ever done before.

On duets with Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Patty Loveless, Burke's voice is as masterful and heartrending as on his two most recent critically acclaimed CDs, Shout! Factory's Make Do With What You Got and the Grammy Award-winning Don't Give Up On Me. The 14 tracks are written by a diverse mix of songwriters including Bruce Springsteen, the aforementioned Parton, previously unreleased songs written by Patty Griffin and Gillian Welch (on which they both contribute background vocals on their respective cuts), as well as producer Buddy and his wife Julie Miller, Tom T. Hall, George Jones, Jim Lauderdale, Don Williams and Kevin Welch, among others.

Burke once again delivers inspirational and astonishing interpretations as only he can to this amalgam of eclectic songs--from his spirited rendition of Springsteen's "Ain't Got You," to his plaintive vocals on Miller's sparse arrangement of the opening track "That's How I Got to Memphis," to the honky tonk feel of Lauderdale's "Seems Like You're Gonna Take Me Back," to Reverend Burke's visceral vocals leading into a heartbreaking mandolin solo on Williams "Atta Way To Go."

Burke's duets with this amazing group of women are breathtaking, from Parton's hymn-like "Tomorrow is Forever" with its mournful, beautiful melody, to the achingly gorgeous collaboration with Harris on George Jones's "We're Gonna Hold On," to the upbeat and sensual version of "You're the Kind of Trouble" with Patty Loveless. The finale, "'Til I Get It Right," is a romantic lament and ideal ending to Nashville with its lush strings and Burke's singular depiction of the songs soulful lyrics.

Buddy Miller is a celebrated songwriter (Dixie Chicks, Lee Ann Womack, Jim Lauderdale, Brooks & Dunn, Hank Williams III), producer (Emmylou Harris, Julie Miller, Jim Lauderdale) and performer (Steve Earle, Jim Lauderdale, Victoria Williams, Lucinda Williams, Frank Black, among many others), who has garnered more Americana Music Association Awards than any other artist.