Kirk Fletcher – Heartache By The Pound

04-11-2022

Kirk Fletcher (born December 23, 1975) is an American electric blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. To date, Fletcher has released a lot of studio albums and one live album. In addition, he has variously been a member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds and the Mannish Boys, plus supplied backing for Joe Bonamassa and Eros Ramazzotti. Kirk Fletcher plugs in his guitar and lets out the weight of the world. With every string bend and sustained vocal, the Los Angeles-born and Nashville-based singer, guitarist, and producer summons the spirit of classic Blues spun with his own fresh fire. It's why he's been tapped to complement everyone from Joe Bonamassa to The Fabulous Thunderbirds on stage or in the studio. It's why he's received several nominations for the Blues Music Award. It's why he's covered Living Blues Magazine and incited the applause of Guitar World, Guitar Player, Guitar, and many others. It's why he's amassed a beloved solo discography streamed millions of times. It's also why his 2022 seventh full-length album, "Heartache By The Pound", scorches as much as it does. Produced by Fletcher at the legendary Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabam, it proudly affirms him as a preeminent 21st century Blues man. "Every time I pick up a guitar, I get down to business and play with a whole lot of soul," he notes. "I've been doing it my whole life, so it's an extension of who I am. It's like a personal PA system to make things louder and put that soul out there. Every note is a continuation of my childhood, growing up in church, and all of the things I love. That's what's most important to me about guitar playing. At the end of the day, I'm just a Blues man." Born and raised in Bellflower, CA, he built a foundation for the Blues in the Compton church where his fahter served as pastor. Inspired by his older brother Walter (seventeen years Kirk's senior), he cut his teeth in front of the congregation, playing guitar regularly in the church until his early twenties. He eventually wound up touring as a guitarist in Kim Wilson's Blues Revue and recording on Wilson's "Smokin' Joint" [2001], which garnered a Grammy® Award nomination. In between live guest spots for Cyndi Lauper and Michelle Branch, he performed on The Fabulous Thunderbirds' Painted On. Other various highlights spanned a stint in The Mannish Boys and handling lead guitar for Eros Ramazzotti. He joined Bonamassa for legendary performances and live records, including "Muddy Wolf at Red Rocks" and "Live at the Greek Theater". The latter notably bowed at #1 on the Billboard Top Blues Albums Chart. Meanwhile, Kirk's 2018 solo offering, "Hold On", cracked the Top 15 of the Billboard Top Blues Albums Chart and garnered a nod in the category of "Best Contemporary Blues Album" at the 2019 Blues Music Awards. The 2020 follow-up "My Blues Pathway" arrived to widespread acclaim. Guitar World put it best, "there's a sweetness and authenticity to his approach that screams class." While living in Switzerland during the Global Pandemic, he spent time crate digging, picking up European pressings of Blues and Soul records. At the same time, he wrote "Heartache By The Pound" on Garage Band, collaborating with friend and legendary bassist Richard Cousins as a primary co-writer. "I got back to my gospel and blues roots," he explains. "I really wanted to do a Blues record, so I sat down and allowed the songs to take over. I was listening to all of this music and thinking of Albert King. He's playing in a Soul band, but he's still a Blues man. "I'm a Blues man, and I write about life. That's the concept." In order to cut the album, he retreated to hallowed ground at Fame Studios for three days. He would be joined by everyone from drummer Terrence F. Clark and keyboardist Reese Winans to Joe Sublett on sax, Mark Pender on trumpet, Jade MacRae on backing vocals, and Randy Bermudas and Travis Carlton on bass. "Fame is the mother church for Soul music," he smiles. "It's the same building where all of these fantastic people like Otis Rush and Aretha Franklin have recorded. I wanted the vibe. I needed to bring these songs there." Now, he opens the album with the single "Shine A Light on Love." Horns pipe up in the background in a call-and-response with his smooth fretwork. His robust vocals echo on the bold refrain backed by a choir-style counterpoint. "It started with the first line, 'The prize ain't always something you can hold in your hand'," he recalls. "Sometimes, you want instant gratification through social media, but the process is the real reward. You're in it, and you're creating. It's more important to think of the people around you and make them smile. The tune reflects upon my life and how I've lived. Instead of talking about glamour and how many followers you have, let's shine a light on love." Elsewhere, the title track "Heartache By The Pound" conjures a warm spirit with nostalgic lyrics and simmering playing. "My family is from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and I remember visiting them as a kid," he goes on. "My uncle would play Little Milton and Bobby 'Blue' Bland. Everyone felt good. The song has the feeling of a summer barbeque in the South. Blues music comforts you. We all go through heartache, but we have people like myself who make music to help us through." He breathes new life into Tarheel Slim's "Wildcat Tamer" with a raucous and rocking rendition. Then, there's "Afraid to Die, Too Scared to Live" where he ponders life's struggles with another soul-shaking vocal and tight riffing. The album culminates on "Hope For Us." His upbeat lyrics give way to one final heavenly solo. "It talks about a relationship where you're drifting apart, and it crumbles right before your eyes," he elaborates. "'Hope For Us' speaks for itself in a way. I tried to tie in those lyrics with the solo. That's the way I grew up playing in church, accompanying super emotional moments." In the end, Kirk is just the Blues man we need right now. "When you hear this, I hope you think, 'Man, somebody understands me'," he leaves off. "If I can do that for one person, it's worth it. I want you to put this on and feel like someone relates to you. We're all in this together." Acclaimed blues guitarist/singer-songwriter Kirk Fletcher has released his long awaited seventh studio album, "Heartache By The Pound". Produced by Fletcher at the legendary Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, "Heartache By The Pound" is heralded by today's premiere of the scorching first single, "Afraid To Die, Too Scared To Live," available now at all DSPs and streaming services. When you listen to Kirk Fletcher's lyrics on his new album "Heartache by the pound" you might think that Fletcher's house isn't all right. The songs on this album live up to the title, in this very personal album he skillfully translates the heartache of broken relationships into the blues. His guitar playing fits the songs like a glove, refined, understated, subtle. His voice is dark as we know him, sometimes with some effects to bring the necessary variation, with the right addition of backing vocals, horns and keys it is a wonderfully cohesive whole. "Heartache by the pound" is his seventh album which he recorded at the famous Fame studio in Muscle Shoals with a slew of musical professionals such as keyboardist Reese Wynans (Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble), drummer Terrence F. Clark (Robert Cray) , bass players Travis Carlton (Sara Barellies) and Randy Bermudes (The Fabulous Thunderbirds), backing vocalist Jade MacRae (Joe Bonamassa), trumpeter Mark Pender (Bruce Springsteen), and saxophonist Joe Sublett (Taj Mahal). This all-star band guarantees musical perfection as said, recorded in the Fame studio, the temple of soul music, with a vibe that he said he needed to make this album "It's the same building where all these fantastic people like Otis Rush and Aretha Franklin have recorded. I wanted the vibe. I needed to bring these songs there." With each repeat listen, the album grows, the personal message in the songs is better understood and Kirk Fletcher's guitar playing takes you along. His solos are characteristic, pointed and with a pain that you feel and completely fitting to the songs. Songs like 'Afraid to Die', 'Too Scared To Live'; the title track 'Heartache By The Pound', 'The Night's Calling For You'; 'Wrapped Up, Tangled Up In The Blues' are the songs in which you feel the loss, incomprehension and misunderstandings. The closing track 'Hope For Us' is quite a hit. The guitar solo that Kirk Fletcher conjures up here is pure magic. Kirk Fletcher surpasses himself by shaping his heartbreak with conviction and passion for the blues. "I got back to my gospel and blues roots," Fletcher says. "I really wanted to do a blues record, so I sat down and allowed the songs to take over. I'm a bluesman, and I write about life. That's the concept." "Heartache By The Pound" marks Fletcher's most personal and potent work to date, highlighted by robust vocals, spirited songcraft, and of course, the fiery guitar work that has earned him international acclaim as one of the preeminent bluesmen of the current era. A five-time Blues Music Award-nominee, Fletcher spent much of the pandemic living in Switzerland, writing new songs remotely in partnership with his long-time friend, legendary bassist Richard Cousins (The Robert Cray Band, Van Morrison). When the lockdown ended, he headed to the hallowed ground of Fame Studios for three days of sessions, joined by a truly all-star backing band comprised of keyboardist Reese Wynans (Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, Buddy Guy, John Mayall), drummer Terrence F. Clark (Robert Cray, Joss Stone), bass players Travis Carlton (Sara Barellies, Larry Carlton) and Randy Bermudes (The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Charlie Musselwhite), backing vocalist Jade MacRae (Joe Bonamassa, Jimmy Barnes), trumpet player Mark Pender (Bruce Springsteen, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul), and saxophonist Joe Sublett (Taj Mahal and the Phantom Blues Band, Bonnie Raitt, Little Feat). "Fame is the mother church for soul music," Fletcher says. "It's the same building where all these fantastic people like Otis Rush and Aretha Franklin have recorded. I wanted the vibe. I needed to bring these songs there."

1. Shine A Light On Love (4:32)