NEW ALBUM 'TIME AIN'T FREE' OUT MARCH 18 ON BLUE BELLA RECORDS, MARKED BY SYNDICATED RADIO SEGMENT
BILLBOARD: "MOSS REACHES DEEPER INTO SOUL, FUNK, AND ROCK 'N' ROLL"
'Time Ain't Free,' the new album from the Nick Moss Band, marks a
culmination of the band's new sound, a hard-driving album of soul music,
blues, funk, gospel, southern rock, rhythm & blues and boogie
sounds. Explosive second lead vocalist and guitarist Michael Ledbetter –
who has added to the new sound Moss has carved out for his band– is
first cousin twice removed to Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Lead Belly.
Raised in Chicago, IL on the sounds of Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway,
and B.B. King, he enjoyed a strong, eight-year career in the Chicago
opera community before joining the Nick Moss Band in 2011. Moss offered a
touring spot in the band after Ledbetter's impressive performance on
the popular single "It'll Turn Around" (from 2011's Here I Am), as well
as background vocal overdubs on many songs on that release, which
reached #2 on the Relix/Jamband Radio Chart in 2012. The band—with
Leadbetter in it--would go on to perform "It'll Turn Around" to a
standing ovation at The 34th Annual Blues Music Awards in Memphis, TN.
He says, "They seem like very independent kinds of music, but my
favorite artists and singers – whether they are blues, soul, or opera –
were the most passionate singers: the ones where the passion just flowed
from their voices."
Does Lead Belly inspire his current singing? He exclaims, "It's hard not
to be inspired by all of his work! I just try to do the Ledbetter name
justice in what I do."
'Time Ain't Free' marks the first album of his tenure as bandleader in
which Moss shares the lead vocals, as well as some of the songwriting.
Ledbetter says, "Nick Moss is an excellent teacher. It's a blessing to
have that kind of motivation on stage and in the studio. I wrote four
songs on the album. This was my first time singing lead and playing on
an album so the whole thing was a crash course for me but the band was a
well-oiled machine!"
He reflects, "My favorite song on the album is 'I Want The World To
Know.' It's the most personal song I've ever written and, because of
that, I was able to put just a little bit more of my heart and soul into
my vocals. I'm very proud of that tune." Billboard agreed, posting the song as a track premiere, saying, "Moss reaches deeper into soul, funk
and rock 'n' roll on Time Ain’t Free."
An interview on syndicated radio show Elwood's Blues Mobile will air around 'Time Ain't Free's' release.
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