Photo credit: David McClister

On May 10, Southern Avenue, the explosive, soulful Memphis-based group, will release their second album, Keep On, via Concord Records. As we noted in our initial profile of the band, Southern Avenue came together through a collaboration between Israeli psych-blues guitarist Ori Naftaly, gospel singer Tierinii Jackson and drummer Tikyra Jackson (Tierinii’s sister). The group, which also features keyboardist Jeremy Powell “quickly honed in on a distinct musical vision: fiery, guitar-led soul rock, with punchy horns, hard-shuffling beats, sparkling ballads and barroom throwdowns.”

The band recorded Keep On at the legendary Sam Phillips Recording studio in Memphis. Johnny Black (Jessie J, Daughtry, Estelle) served as producer, while guest players include  William Bell, Gage Markey and a horn section consisting of Art Edmaiston (JJ Grey & Mofro, Gregg Allman) and Marc Franklin (The Bo-Keys, Gregg Allman).

Today we premiere “Whiskey Love” from the forthcoming record. Tierinii Jackson explains that it is “one of the first songs we wrote for our new album and emotionally, it was a hard one to write. It’s about about a woman recognizing that she is caught in a cycle of abuse and how she copes with it. In the song she finds redemption, her life saving moment when she recognizes the negative pattern and is able to wake up and move on. ‘Whiskey Love’ is a song of hope and strength for all those out there struggling.”