New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Rockabilly goddess Kim Lenz is gearing up for the release of her fifth album Slowly Speeding, out February 22, 2019. Lenz is a songwriter, performer, bandleader, engineer and producer who pores over every nuance of her music to ensure maximum potency. The ten songs on Slowly Speeding brim with growling vocals, clever turns of phrase and heightened musicianship that services both the songs and the emotional intent behind them. As the first song written for the project, "Slowly Speeding" sets the pace for what follows - a gauzy, Western Gothic gaze into the heart of a woman who has abandoned her walls and inhibitions, falling so deeply in love that the universe itself seems unreal. The song is available at all DSPs today, and is also a featured "Fresh Track" on No Depression.
Lenz released her debut album in 1998 as Kim Lenz & the Jaguars, via Hightone Records. Heralded as the "Flame-haired keeper of the rockabilly flame" by Allmusic, Lenz reached the highest heights of the 90's rockabilly revival. At the same time, she established her own distinctive voice as an artist who inhabited the musical and aesthetic traditions of a classic era, even as she subverted them. At the same time, she populated her band with top-notch players like bassist Jake Erwin (Hot Club of Cowtown) and the late guitarist Nick Curran (Ronnie Dawson, Fabulous Thunderbirds).
For Slowly Speeding, Lenz pulled the most essential elements of the past forward into the present and gave her own voice to it. Lenz's sonic vision for the project was to combine her favorite tones from her most-treasured records, regardless of genre or era, and co-producer DH Phillips was the perfect partner in crime. They looked to early blues, classic country, and old-time gospel harmonies. "The idea was to try to use all the ingredients that made up rock & roll, but shift around the time frames," she offers. "I started out in the '90s making traditional rockabilly music," she continues. "But in my journey to understand how rockabilly and rock & roll came into being, I found blues, rhythm & blues, gospel, Western swing, and country music."
Lenz will bring her trademark style on the road, with select dates across the U.S. Full tour dates are at www.kimlenz.com.
