Albert Cummings

Albert Cummings News

Albert Cummings Turns it up to TEN with an Expansive Sound on His New Album Available April 8

ALBERT CUMMINGS

TURNS IT UP TO TEN WITH AN EXPANSIVE SOUND ON HIS NEW ALBUM AVAILABLE APRIL 8

THE ACCLAIMED BLUESMAN BUSTS DOWN GENRE WALLS ON TEN, PRODUCED BY GRAMMY-WINNER CHUCK AINLAY AND FEATURING A GUEST APPEARANCE BY VINCE GILL

NEW SINGLE “NEED SOMEBODY” PREMIERES TODAY!

 

February 17, 2022 – There are few albums today that are grounded in the blues but can still instantly jump off into a whole new sense of expression. On his new studio album TEN, Albert Cummings ventures into rock, country, soul, and Americana, while his songs range from wall-ratting tunes to soft ballads, with Cummings’ rugged, world-wise vocals hitting all the right moods.  Musically diverse and emotionally cohesive, TEN’s 13 original tracks stand as a compelling statement about who he is now and where he may be headed. TEN will be released on April 8 via Ivy Music Company. 

The first single, scorching rocker “Need Somebody,” premiered earlier today via Guitar Player Magazine, who stated about Cummings, “With over two decades’ worth of solo releases under his belt, his recorded body of work catalogs a guitarist that has gone from strength to strength. Renowned for his raw, off-the-cuff stage performances, what you see really is what you get with this maestro.”

LISTEN TO THE TRACK HERE

TEN was recorded in Nashville at Peter Frampton’s Phenix Studios. Helping Cummings craft his vision for this album was Grammy-winning producer Chuck Ainlay (Mark Knopfler, Dire Straits, George Strait, Peter Frampton, Miranda Lambert, Emmylou Harris, among others) and a dream team of musicians including drummer Greg Morrow, bassist Glenn Worf, keyboardist Michael Rojas, and guitarist Rob McNelley. “The music that started to be played in the studio sounded like it was being created on a whole new level,” Cummings raves. “I knew in a flash we were onto something. “

“Need Somebody” also represents another crucial element of TEN – the emotional depth Cummings reaches with his evocative lyrics. TEN is the first record where Cummings, as he explains it, “let the listener into my personal space.” The music is more songwriting-focused, with the guitar being used as a tool to drive the songs home. “Meet the Man” and “Too Old to Grow Up” provide vivid portraits of people living their lives, alongside a passionate ode of love on “She’s The One.” A song especially close to Cummings’ heart is “Beautiful Bride.” It’s the first song he ever sang in public –and he sang it at his own wedding. 

A particular thrill for Cummings was working with Country Music Hall of Famer Vince Gill, who lends his vocal talent on the boisterous roadhouse tune “Last Call.”

Throughout his career, Cummings has strived not to place boundaries on his music and with TEN,he has raised the bar to a place where anything seems possible. “I have been playing for a lot of years and still find new ways of expressing myself,” Cummings says. “That’s what this album is all about to me. It supports my belief that I can accomplish whatever I set my mind to.” TEN is available for pre-order on February 18.

Cummings kicks off his 2022 tour tonight in San Juan Capistrano, CA with additional stops including Los Angeles, Oakland, Seattle, New York and Nashville.  List of tour dates below.

TEN TRACKLISTING

1.Need Somebody

2.Too Old to Grow Up

3.Hard Way

4.Last Call

5.Beautiful Bride

6.Sounds Like the Road

7.Meet the Man

8.Two Hands

9.Take Me Away

10.Alive and Breathing

11.She’s The One

12.Got You Covered

13.Remember

 

TOUR DATES

Feb 17 – Coach House Concert Hall – San Juan Capistrano, CA

Feb 18 – Ramona Mainstage – Ramona, CA

Feb 19 – Grand Annex – Los Angeles, CA

Feb 20 – The Painted Table Event Center – Fresno, CA

Feb 23 – Felton Music Hall – Felton, CA

Feb 24 – Blue Note Napa – Napa, CA

Feb 25 – Auburn Placer Performing Arts Center – Auburn, CA

Feb 26 – Black Oak Concert Series – Tuolumne, CA

Feb 27 – Yoshi’s Oakland – Oakland, CA

Mar 2 – The Jack London Revue – Portland, OR

Mar 3 – Triple Door – Seattle, WA

Mar 4 – The Spanish Ballroom – Tacoma, WA

Mar 5 – The Seasons Performance Hall – Yakima, WA

Mar 6 – Volcanic Theatre Pub – Bend, OR

Mar 8 – The Sapphire Room – Boise, ID

Mar 24 – Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center – Old Saybrook, CT

Mar 25 – Bull Run Restaurant – Shirley, MA

Mar 26 – Spire Center for Performing Arts – Plymouth, MA

Apr 14 – The Iridium – New York, NY

Apr 15 – Fairfield Theatre Company Box Office – Fairfield, CT

Apr 16 – Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club – Portsmouth, NH

Apr 22 – Gateway City Arts – Holyoke, MA

Apr 23 – Bearsville Theater – Woodstock, NY

May 25 – Open Chord Music – Knoxville, TN

May 26 – City Winery Nashville – Nashville, TN

May 28 – Downtown Brilliant – Brilliant, AL

May 29 – The Spinning Jenny – Greer, SC

Jun 2 – US National Whitewater Center – Charlotte, NC

Jun 3 – Blue Note Grill – Durham, NC

Jun 17 – Mauch Chunk Opera House – Jim Thorpe, PA

Jul 29 – Head of Falls and River Walk – Waterville, ME

Blues Rock Guitarist Albert Cummings Set To Release New Album Believe, on Feb. 14, 2020

Cummings Offers a Sneak Peak with the Release of Track “Hold On,” Now Available

Album Art for Believe | Photo Credit: Jennifer Mardus 
(Nashville, Tenn. – Nov. 22, 2019) – Recently signed to Mascot Label Group imprint, Provogue Records, Blues Rock guitarist Albert Cummings will release a new album, Believe, on Feb. 14, 2020. Featuring a flavorful mix of blues, country, and rock n’ roll, the 11-track album is now available for pre-order (HERE) with “Hold On,” Cummings’ rendition of the 1966 soul classic by Sam & Dave, being made available instantly. Watch the lyric video for “Hold On” HERE.
Recorded at the iconic FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Ala., Cummings takes this release to new heights with the help of GRAMMY Award-winning producer, Jim Gaines (Stevie Ray Vaughan, Santana). Together, they drew inspiration from the rich recording legacy of Muscle Shoals and created a timeless album full of rhythm, funk, and soul. “You can hear the difference between this album and my others, and that is the Muscle Shoals difference,” Cummings says of the new project, “If I had recorded those same songs anywhere else, then Believe would have sounded like a completely different album.”
With a career of recording music that spans nearly 20 years, Cummings has built a reputation through his live performance, bringing the audience on a musical roller coaster. He enchantingly brings his guitar alive in ways that have honored him and earned him praise from the King of Blues himself, B.B. King, while others have drawn comparisons to legends like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix.
With Believe, Cummings has created a crossbred of genres through the use of powerful backup singers, steady grooves, a dynamic brass section, and Cummings’ mesmerizing guitar riffs.
Believe commands attention right out of the gate with tenacious horns roaring on “Hold On.” Cummings sets the tone for the rest of the album by adding his spin on the classic with a captivating guitar solo that fades out, keeping the audience hanging on for more.
The forward-thinking tune, “Going My Way,” reflects on the good that comes to those who work hard, saying “They say you get what you give, well it’s time for me to receive.” Although it is not officially the title track, the song closely follows the theme of the album title, saying “You can have anything you want, all you need to do is believe.”
The masterful guitarist brings the electrifying energy he is known for to the forefront of Believe with tracks like “Do What Mama Says” and the Freddie King cover, “Me and My Guitar,” while also suggesting a softer tone as he portrays Van Morrison’s “Crazy Love.”
Cummings’ originals highlight where he gets his inspiration from with songs like “Red Rooster” pulling straight from Blues 101, interchanging guitar talking with simple lyrics, while “It’s All Good” and “Get Out Of Here” follow a traditional Country music storytelling format. “Call Me Crazy” features his lyricism and ability to play on words.
Cummings has been praised by the media for his ability to pull inspiration from past greats while, “Stylistically, compositionally, lyrically, and vocally [being] very much a distinct entity.” – Phantom Tollbooth
Believe will climb on top of the building blocks Cummings has already built as a promising master guitarist, creating a firm foundation for himself as a guitar legend in the making.
Cummings reminisces about his time in recording at the world-famous FAME Studios:  “On the third day of recording, I started listening in on a tour the owners were giving and they were talking about Aretha Franklin recording ‘Never Loved a Man.’ As they described this, Clayton Ivy [FAME Studio keyboardist] played the infamous lick on the same Wurlitzer piano that was used in Aretha’s session. So many greats have been in the studio where we cut this album. I was playing my guitar,looking at a picture on the wall of Duane Allman standing in the same spot I was. It was at that moment that I realized where I was and what an incredible experience I was having.”
It wasn’t until he was 27 that Cummings publicly played with a band for the first time. Living in Massachusetts, he and his band, Swamp Yankee, got heavily involved with the Northeast Blues Society and started gaining notoriety. Cummings’ skill and intensity garnered attention from Double Trouble members Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon, who were so impressed with this relative newcomer that they produced and performed on his first solo record, From the Heart (2001).
After signing a multi-record deal with Blind Pig Records, Tommy Shannon would go on to work with Cummings on his 2004 inaugural release for the label, True To Yourself. Cummings recorded three more stellar albums on the Blind Pig Records label, Working Man (2006), Feel So Good: Albert Cummings Live (2008), and Someone Like You (2015). In 2012, he also self-released the country-rock-blues flavored winner, No Regrets, incorporating multiple musical categories, and highlighting his unique versatility.
Following the success of his first live record, a second was self-released in 2017, Live At The ’62 Center. It was recorded in his hometown of Williamstown, Mass., and it’s incredible reception garnered Cummings a Blues Music Award nomination for Blues Rock Album.
Cummings will tour throughout next year. His dynamic, engaging personality combined with blues musicianship at its finest has created an enduring, loyal fan base worldwide. For the complete list of dates, and more information on Albert Cummings, visit https://albertcummings.com/tour-dates/
Believe Track Listing:
1. Hold On
2. Do What Mama Says
3. Red Rooster
4. Queen Of Mean
5. Crazy Love
6. Get Out Of Here
7. My Babe
8. It’s All Good
9. Going My Way
10. Call Me Crazy
11. Me And My Guitar

Blues Rock Artist Albert Cummings Inks Deal With Provogue Records

The Blues Imprint of Mascot Label Group

Albert Cummings
Albert Cummings – Photo Credit: Jennifer Mardus

 

(Nashville, TENN. – August 16, 2019) – Sought after Blues Rock guitarist Albert Cummings finds a label home with Mascot Label Group imprint, Provogue Records. Mascot is known for being a market leader in the world of Blues, Rock and Metal with Provogue heading up the Blues sector working with guitar-driven artists like Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Walter Trout, Joe Bonamassa, Eric Gales and now Albert Cummings.

Mascot Label Group President, North America, Ron Burman, commented, “Albert is an exceptional guitar player who is passionate with an incredibly strong work ethic. We are happy to have him become a part of our Mascot family.”

With plans to release a new album early next year, Cummings is elated with Provogue’s support,” It’s such an honor to be part of a label that has helped shape the careers of the greatest guitar players our world has ever known,” Cummings says, “I’m confident that Provogue is the right home for me and I look forward to working with them and getting some new music to the loyal supporters that I have.”

Known for his charismatic and energetic live show, Cummings has shared the bill with music legends B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Double Trouble, Susan Tedeschi, Johnny Winter, and Sheryl Crow among many others. The prowess behind his live performance led to the release of his second live album Live at the ’62 Center, in late 2017. Recorded in his hometown of Williamstown, Massachusetts, Live at the ’62 Center showcases impeccable artistry through the album’s spontaneity and creative spirit, earning him the prestigious nomination for a Blues Music Award in the Blues Rock Album category.

Cummings grew up playing five string banjo and listening to bluegrass in Massachusetts—until the day he saw Stevie Ray Vaughan perform in 1987. That is when he was bitten by the blues-rock bug and turned to play guitar for good. Cummings has provided some of the most powerful blues music of the 21st century since the release of his debut album From the Heart (2003), produced by Double Trouble (Stevie Ray Vaughan’s rhythm section). The promising guitarist went on to work with multi-platinum producer and engineer, Jim Gaines (Stevie Ray Vaughan, Carlos Santana, Huey Lewis and the News’) to release True to Yourself (2004) and Working Man (2006) further solidifying his style of music and guitar proficiency with Billboard complimenting his work saying, “This recording is the calling card of a star who has arrived.” Cummings’ first live album Feel So Good, followed in 2008, receiving praise from Music Connection, hailing it, “one of the best live albums recorded in a long time.” In 2012, Cummings released his No Regrets album, which debuted at No. 1 in the U.S., Canada, and France on the iTunes Blues Charts and in 2015, he recorded Someone Like You with Grammy-winning producer David Z. (Buddy Guy, Prince, Jonny Lang, Gov’t Mule).

Albert continues to tour and take his unforgettable show on the road. For the complete list of dates, and more information on Albert Cummings, visit https://albertcummings.com/tour-dates/