CHICAGO, IL. (Top40 Charts/ Western Publicity) Labels: useful in library card catalogues, but rarely accurate in music. Chicago's Deals Gone Bad are the perfect example. Champions of Jamaican soul, American Rhythm and Blues and Midwest punk ethos, the band awakens to release its 2nd full length with the current line-up. 2007's The Ramblers found the group a road-ready touring machine fronted by a rare animal in modern music: soul singer Todd Hembrook (think Toots Hibbert born in Detroit) who respects the past without being beholden to it. On the heels of this widely acclaimed album, the band toured nationally and internationally, building a devoted following and performing alongside acts such as Chuck Berry, The Slackers, and The Specials, all while honing and refining new material that makes up the sound
of Heartbreaks and Shadows.
"See-sawing U.S. soul against Jamaican ska/reggae, the band twine the two together in ways even the island originators couldn't." Allmusic
The forthcoming LP boasts 10 original songs, including recent singe "Far From Home," and it is Deals Gone Bad's first independent self-release, in keeping with their DIY mentality. Produced and engineered by founding member Mike Corcoran at Legendary Recorders in Chicago, the new album was mastered by Colin Jordan at The Boiler Room. They'll launch a new tour (dates below) to celebrate the new album.
Heartbreak is something familiar to Deal's Gone Bad listeners; tales of love and loss dominated The Ramblers and helped establish the lyrical themes that any fan can relate to. The shadows, though, balance the romance and longing with tales of imprisonment, prostitution, and death in ways that show a new depth in the band, and reflect a desire to push itself into new, darker realms while never abandoning the danceable rhythms and big hooks which have defined it to date. Look for Deal's Gone Bad to remind you why you loved them and why the best is yet to come, on the new LP, Heartbreaks and Shadows.
Deals Gone Bad
Spring Touring (West Coast This Fall):
Thu May 15 - Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace
Fri May 16 - Montreal, QC - Pouzza Festival
Sat May 17 - New York, NY - Knitting Factory
Sun May 18 - Providence, RI - Fete Lounge
Mon May 19 - Philadelphia, PA - Boot and Saddle
Tue May 20 - Durham, NC - Motorco
Wed May 21 - Gainesville, FL - The Jam
Thu May 22 - Orlando, FL - Wills Pub
Fri May 23 - New Smyrna Beach, FL - Beachside Tavern
Sat May 24 - Tampa Bay, FL - Epic Problem