Nashville-based singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, James Levy, his new album, Soldier, out now via Side Hustle Records / The Orchard.
His three singles — “Soldier” and “Myself Anymore,” and “Fool” — all came with music videos that were shot in Los Angeles and directed by Levy’s former LOLAWOLF (Innit) bandmate Jimmy Giannopoulous.
Other associated acts of Levy’s include Reputante (Cult), James Levy &The Blood Red Rose (Heavenly), LEVY (OLI), Charles Bradley, The Pierces, and this new record follows Levy’s debut solo record, Somebody (Innit), which came out in 2019 and was produced by Paul Defiglia (The Avett Brothers).
All three singles and their videos own a wry sense of humor is classic James Levy. His sheer self-awareness breaks the marketing fourth wall in a way that makes it hard not to smile and feel in on the joke of what’s it’s like to take oneself too seriously in the music business, or in anything in life. His budget of what he cares about is small, but the full-throttle passion he puts into what he cares about is inarguably rich.
Levy recorded the new record at home in Nashville, where he wrote, produced and mixed it himself, in the span of two weeks. It is his first guitar record in over a decade. The surge of inspiration came from watching the show “Normal people.” He tells American Songwriter: “I was watching the show ‘Normal People’ and out of the blue the song came to mind… I wrote it very quickly and recorded it. It ended up being the catalyst to make a full record,” adding, “I sang whatever came to mind knowing that I wouldn’t edit it…It felt like no matter what I said the feeling would come through.”
Levy worked with Julian Casablancas, Coldplay and Tim Wheeler of Ash on his last two records. He wrote songs with Zoe Kravitz, Jordan Lane Price, Zuri Marley, The Pierces and currently, he is working in Nashville writing with multiple artists. Levy recently recorded a duets EP with Herman Dune in LA and an EP produced by Richard Gottehrer in NYC. Levy’s collaborations with Charles Bradley on “Lucifer” and “Lonely as You Are” are out now and have received critical acclaim.
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