Valerie June has a new album for Concord Records ready to drop on April 11th. The 14-song Owls, Omens, and Oracles was recorded with producer M. Ward, and includes collaborations with the Blind Boys of Alabama and Norah Jones. The singer/songwriter will be hitting the road on March 27th for a tour that will wind through the U.S. this summer. No word on a Memphis date yet, but we hope Val will come home to play for us.
“Joy Joy” is the first single, giving you a taste of what to expect on the new album. “Everyone has felt moments of darkness, depression, anxiety, stress, ailments, or pain,” says June. “Some say it takes mud to have a lotus flower. This song reflects on the hard times we might face: to fail, to fall, to lose, to be held down, to be silenced, to be shut out yet still hold onto a purely innocent and childlike joy. I come from a heritage of ancestors who lived this truth by inventing blues music. Generations after they’ve gone, the inner joy they instilled in us radiates and lifts cultures throughout the world. From the world to home, what would a city council focused on inspiring inner joy for all of a town’s citizens look like? As the times are changing across the planet, what would it look like to collectively activate our superpowers of joy?”
This gorgeous video is directed and edited by Taylor Washington. Take a look, and get some joy in your Monday.
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