New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Last week, the New York-based singer, songwriter and acclaimed pianist Jon Regen announced his first album in four years Higher Ground with the release of the debut single "Wide Awake." The album, out October 4 via Ropeadope, was produced by Jamiroquai's Matt Johnson and includes musical performances by legends like Andy Summers of The Police, Benmont Tench of
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Chuck Leavell of The Rolling Stones, Nick Rhodes of
Duran Duran and more.
Last night,
Jamie Cullum spun "
Wide Awake" on his BBC
Radio 2 program The Jazz Show with
Jamie Cullum and said, "This is classy songwriting, a great new track from Jon Regen."
The single was also praised by Jazziz and
Parade who praised the "enthusiastic, optimistic track" with "smooth as silk vocals and a jazzy groove." Listen to "
Wide Awake" via YouTube: https://youtu.be/MnS9zoLq1XA
"'Wide Awake' is about new beginnings," explains Regen. "When I became a parent, my touring and recording life was immediately put on hold. That was until I ran into Matt Johnson at a sold-out
Jamiroquai show in New York City, on the same street my parents lived on in the 1960s. Soon after, we were crafting the song and an entire album together, all via email. So for me it's a song about taking chances and celebrating the now."
Higher Ground follows Regen's 2015 release Stop Time that received acclaim from AllMusic, The Associated Press, NPR Music, Paste Magazine, The Wall Street Journal and more. The 11 tracks that comprise the new album were mixed by famed engineer Michael Brauer and mastered by 2019 Album of the Year Grammy Award-winner Greg Calbi (Kacey Musgraves). Other acclaimed guests on Higher Ground include bassists Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell) and Tim Lefebvre (David Bowie, Tedeschi
Trucks Band), and drummers Keith Carlock (Steely Dan) and Jerry Marotta (Peter Gabriel). The entire album was recorded remotely, across different cities, oceans and countries.
