Imelda May: "Tribal" Set For September 23 Release, Summer and Fall North American Tour Dates, The Huffington Post Premieres EPK

“Ms. May has a rich, tangy voice and sultry presence”—The New York Times

“‘Refined rockabilly’ may seem like a contradiction in terms, but that’s what the dynamic Irish singer and her five-piece band pull off.”—USA Today

“…an Irish singer whose music straddles the line between rockabilly and blues.”—NPR “All Things Considered”

 

“Places her rich, pouty voice inside coils of surf guitar and thumping stand-up bass…”—Rolling Stone

“Jamming rockabilly dance floor burner…the tip of this Irish import’s genre-bending chops. You want blues? Jazz? Punk? Country? Put it all in a blender, add a little Nina Simone for good measure.”—Esquire

On account of exciting and extensive tour commitments abroad, Irish rocker Imelda May is looking to the fall for the U.S. release of her upcoming album Tribal on Verve Records. The album, which debuted at #1 in Ireland and #3 in the UK, will now be released onSeptember 23. The Guardian gave the album four stars, saying “This album is no time capsule; it’s fresh and embracing…” while The Times praises May’s “raw, impassioned vocals.” In the meantime, May has also added a second sold out show at Dublin’s O2 Arena.

 

To preview the album, May will embark on a run of summer dates in North America including a sold-out show in New York and dates in Los Angeles, San Francisco and more. The singer will return to the U.S. in the fall for a full tour in celebration of the release. Please find summer tour dates below. The Huffington Post is premiering May’s EPK along with a Q&A with the artist HERE and a link to the EPKHERE.

 

This record marks the first release from May since 2010’s Mayhem, of which The Los Angeles Times commented, “Ireland-born Imelda May’s career is fostered by paying homage to legends like Buddy Holly and Johnny Cash and, more importantly, furthering rockabilly’s cross-pollination into New Orleans jazz, delta blues and amp-splitting punk aggression,” and The New York Daily News hailed, “...she has vocal chops that put nearly any singer from that era to shame.”

 

Although May became a mother just last summer, “There are no lullabies on this album,” she assures. May took about three months to write the songs for Tribal—she co-wrote “Little Pixie” with her brother Fintan Clabby, and her husband Darrel Higham wrote both “Ghost of Love” and “Five Good Men.” The band recorded the album at Livingston Studios in West London where May co-produced the album with producer Mike Crossey. Of Tribal, May says “I wanted to inject the rebelliousness of punk and early rock ‘n’ roll into this album.”

 

Imelda got her first taste of the rockabilly sound as a child listening to her brother’s cassettes of Elvis, Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent. “I liked the scariness of them,” she says, “And I remember being terrified by The Specials singing Ghost Town. And also by horror films. I was drawn to the thrill, the combination of edginess and fun. And that's what still does it for me.” Her own brand of rockabilly sound has been a hit, with her previous release Mayhem hitting Platinum in Ireland and Gold in the U.K. May has seen performances on “Later With Jools Holland,” “Conan,” “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” and four performances on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” to name a few. Performing a fusion of surf guitars, blues and rockabilly, her current lineup consists of husband Darrel Higham on guitars, Al Gare on double-bass, Dave Priseman on trumpet and Steve Rushton on drums. The band has shared stages with Chuck Berry, David Gilmore, Shane Macgowan, Van Morrison, Jeff Beck, Wanda Jackson, Paul Brady, Jamie Cullum, and Meatloaf.

 

IMELDA MAY TOUR DATES

July 26                                                         Hillside, ON                                             Hillside Festival

July 29                                                        New York, NY                                        Bowery Ballroom

July 31                                                          Boston, MA                                                        Paradise

Aug 1                                                        Alexandria, VA                                                  Birchmere

Aug 3                                                           Chicago, IL                                                      Park West

Aug 5                                                           Portland, OR                                          Crystal Ballroom

Aug 6                                                            Seattle, WA                                                        Neptune

Aug 8                                                         Edmonton, AB                                               Folk Festival

Aug 9                                                           Burnaby, BC                                               Blues Festival

Aug 10                                                    San Francisco, CA                                          Outside Lands

Aug 12                                                       San Diego, CA                                                     Belly Up

Aug 14                                                      Los Angeles, CA                                          El Rey Theatre

Aug 16                                                          Lyons, CO                                                 Folks Festival

Aug 17                                                      Kansas City, MO                                           Knuckleheads

 

TRIBAL 

1. Tribal

2. Wild Woman

3. It’s Good To Be Alive

4. Gypsy In Me

5. Little Pixie

6. Hellfire Club

7. Five Good Men

8. Ghost Of Love

9. Wicked Way

10. Round The Bend

11. I Wanna Dance

12. Right Amount Of Wrong

 

iTunes Pre-order: http://smarturl.it/TribaliTunes

Amazon Pre-order: http://smarturl.it/TribalAmzn

 

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