London based singer / songwriter Josh Barry has unveiled his long-awaited debut EP 'Art & Soul'.
The six-track release opens up with soul-drenched single 'All Add Up' which sees Josh's vocal take centre stage amidst sparse drums and emotive guitars, referencing sounds synonymous with the soul greats such as Otis Reading and guitar legends like Jimi Hendrix. Very much setting the tone for the rest of the EP, ‘All Add Up’ is followed by the gospel tones of ‘Spirit Road’; powerful, virtuous energy of ‘Bad Fruit’ and heart-on-sleeve ‘Rush’. Next up is his most recent single, the emotion-tinged ‘Adam In The Evening’, before things are closed out by the heartfelt romance of ‘Waiting On Your Call’.
An honest, emotionally charged collection of tracks, ‘Art & Soul’ is Josh Barry at his most candid.
We had the chance to speak to Josh as part of our Introducing series...
Introduce yourself and tell us a bit about you! "I’m Josh Barry and I’m a singer songwriter from London! Sounding a lot like a Take Me Out intro there." Where are you from and what’s your favourite thing about that place? "Touring always makes me so aware of how much I love living in London - there’s no place like it. Everything from the music, to the food and the people. I love it!" How would you sum up your sound in 3 words? "Honest. Soulful. Organic." What inspires your music? "Truth. I can’t write a song that isn’t either completely true to my life and experience or disguised as a metaphor. That’s the only way to connect with it and deliver it in a deserving manner." What’s your earliest musical memory? "Putting on my Harley Davidson leather jacket at 5 years old and dancing to the Grease soundtrack. At that time there was nobody that looked like me in films or on tv - At least the main characters anyway. Although, I don’t care what anyone says, John Travolta was ice cold." You’ve had success as a dance music vocalist touring with Gorgon City, as well as collaborating with the likes of Sonny Fodera and SG Lewis and playing huge festival stages! Do you have a particular stand out moment of your music career so far? "As a vocalist I have been so lucky to play some of the biggest stages worldwide. To choose one would be difficult, but I really was so honoured to play at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. That’s always been on my bucket list. Now I just can’t wait to play it again for my own project."
You’ve just released your new single ‘Adam In The Evening’. Tell us a little about it (recording, writing, inspirations etc)
"We wrote it in San Francisco. Geneva White, Bobby Renz and I were writing together for the week and I came to the session with the concept of the Adam and Eve story describing a first (and last) love. From there Britt (Geneva) massively helped me shape the melodies and fine tune the lyrics whilst Bobby finessed the production. It flowed very organically and was a pleasure to create. I’m very proud of it." How has the reaction been so far?
"Incredibly positive. As an independent artist, promotion and exposure are some of the most difficult hurdles to overcome. Feeling the love from those around me has helped massively." The single is taken from your debut EP ‘Art & Soul’! Can you tell us anything about the release? "I’m just so happy to finally release it. I’ve been sitting on some of these songs for 5/6 years, it’s been an agonising wait, but I fully believe everything happens for a reason and now is my time to show the world my music. Sonically, I feel that it’s an organic and raw EP, closest to throwback soul with a modern spin. I hope everyone that needs it, gets to hear it!" Finally, what else do you have in store for the rest of 2021? "It’s hard to say, with everything still up in the air, but we have plans to release two EP’s, there are a few features in the works that’s I am REALLY excited about, and hopefully sneak onto a couple of festivals. Basically I really hope this year will be the best platform to finally get my project moving, but I won’t get ahead of myself, I just want to take everything as it comes and try my best to enjoy the journey."
'Art & Soul' is out now. Listen HERE @joshbarrymusic
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