The Family Soul - "Give It More Try EP" OUT NOW!

On Saturday, to minimal fanfare, The Family Soul (a Windsor-based horn-fuelled soul band, fronted by my husband Soul Brother Mike), in which I play flute and sing back-up vocals, released our first EP of original music, the follow-up to our full-length cover album released last fall. You can find it now on all major digital platforms.

With the exception of track one - a newer tune written last summer, and my favourite song on the release - the EP is comprised of tunes originally released by Soul Brother Mike, but reinterpreted for The Family Soul’s lush sound, with delicious guitar solos, thick harmonies, and bold horns. When The Family Soul first formed, we were just a backing band for Mike’s music, but we all so enjoyed playing together, and didn’t want to stop. Under Mike’s direction, we built up our repertoire to include not just Mike’s originals, but also his favourite cover tunes, from obscure artists around the world - thus, On The Shoulders Of… Vol. 1 - but we’ve kept those original numbers in our regular set-lists.

“Little Bit Famous” first appeared on Mike’s first album under the name Soul Brother Mike (he’s released lots of solo music before, but under different monikers), originally released in 2015 and then re-mastered and re-released in 2017. I especially love the horn melody, which sounds so much like a schoolyard taunt, a brag - “my girl is better than your girl,” that sort of thing. I have to admit, it does make this girl feel pretty good (since, admittedly, I am the subject of this one).

When I get to be on-stage with the band, on the rare occasions when motherhood or my own gigs don’t come first, I’m always disappointed if “What’s The Deal” somehow doesn’t make it onto the set-list. The horn lick is so exciting to play - I get so nervous wondering if I’ll be able to pull it off on the flute - and the back-ups are so sassy, so strong, especially in the bridge. It’s a song all about the predatory nature of the music industry, and those shady professionals whose motives aren’t exactly clear.

“Only In Love” is a sweet, straight-up love song. I think I can remember coming up with the back-up vocal part myself. It was a song that Mike used to play by himself all the time, and one day, I just started to sing along. I could be wrong, but in my mind, that’s how the back-ups came to be (although he did add some of his own flair to the part in time - that falsetto “oh yeah” at the end of the chorus is pure Mike).

Heading back to the top of the EP, “Give It More Try” is one of my very favourite songs Mike’s ever written - which is wild, because he’s written so much material and I’ve fallen in love with so much of it. I remember the first time I saw the title of the song, I thought it was a mistake. “Give It One More Try”? But no. It’s the same meaning, but with “try” as an adjective, not a noun - a living, moving thing; giving more spirit, more passion, more hope.

“It kind of feels like the wrong time to be promoting music,” Mike says. Because of that, the release flew under the radar. We haven’t pushed it the way we otherwise might. All of us in the co-op have been really reflecting on the way that we continue our careers in light of the pandemic, and in deference to the Black Lives Matter movement that is rightly occupying public consciousness and compelling all creative types to evaluate the way we help influence culture.

I’m still adding some basic marketing activities to my to-do list for the EP - I’d like to get it sent out to our local radio stations, the CBC, and campus/community radio across Canada - at least, stations where digital copies are accepted. Originally, we paid for an order of CDs back in February, but within weeks, lockdowns began around the world, and the poor beleaguered CD format became even less desirable, so we ultimately didn’t press the EP in a physical format. We’ll be limited to distributing it to whatever radio stations will accept digital submissions, hoping that our listeners will be alright with enjoying the music in digital format for now, and putting our CD manufacturing order towards a possible sampler of Soul City Music Co-op artists in the near future.

On behalf of the band, we want to thank you for supporting our music, and giving us the reason to do what we do! Find the EP on your favourite streaming platform here, or download it directly from the band (which means no money going into the pocket of our corporate overlords!).