Ivan Neville, a seasoned musician, has recently released his long-awaited solo album, ‘Touch My Soul,’ after nearly two decades. The album is a ten-song collection that showcases Neville’s personal and artistic growth, highlighting his journey as a father, a man, and an artist. The album is produced under Mascot Label Group/The Funk Garage and features appearances from various renowned artists, including Michael McDonald, Bonnie Raitt, Aaron Neville, Cyril Neville, Trombone Shorty, David Shaw, and members of Preservation Hall.
One of the album’s standout tracks is a captivating rendition of the Talking Heads’ “This Must Be The Place,” which perfectly fits into the overall theme of the album. Neville has expressed that the journey is more important than the destination and that everything happens for a reason. He encourages everyone to be attentive and look for blessings everywhere.
The album has a unique and unmistakable New Orleans vibe that rejuvenates Neville’s signature sound. It follows the release of two singles, “Hey All Together” and “Greatest Place On Earth.” The former features appearances from Michael McDonald, Bonnie Raitt, Aaron Neville, and David Shaw, with instrumental contributions from Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews and violinist Theresa Anderson. The latter is a jubilant ode to the Crescent City that features Preservation Hall Jazz bandleaders Ben Jaffe and Charlie Gabriel, as well as Trombone Shorty, and is filled with energetic rhythms, dynamic horn parts, and soaring vocals.
“I haven’t written any new material for myself in a long time,” Ivan explains, “so this project is very special to me. I made it up as I went along, a song here and there, in between my work with Dumpstaphunk and my work with good musical friends. Music is a way to make people feel better, it brings spiritual healing.”
Musically, Ivan constructed ‘Touch My Soul’ around piano pieces that he composed in the portrait photograph- filled “sun room” in his house in Uptown New Orleans. “The drum loops were inspired by the sounds I heard on Sly Stone’s Fresh album,” he says, “which was a big influence on me as a teen.” While vocals on his previous albums have always been tart and sweet, Ivan’s voice comes from a more evolved place on ‘Touch My Soul, which makes sense nearly 20 years removed from his last solo effort ‘Scrape’ (2004).
“People try to warn us about the risks in life, but we want to learn for ourselves,” he says. “And we have a choice whether we want to learn from our mistakes. I believe the more we embrace our vulnerabilities, our imperfections, our insecurities, the better we become. That’s my goal: stay teachable.”
‘Touch My Soul’ is not unlike a good bowl of homemade gumbo, he adds, “very soothing for the soul. When I think about the way music has touched my soul and all the songs that became special moments in my life, I become very emotional. Music should touch your soul. I hope this record and this music touches someone’s soul.”
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Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.