Frazey Ford
Flowing. Glowing. Liberating soul and psychedelia.
On her third album U kin B the Sun, Vancouver-based singer/songwriter Frazey Ford inhabits an entire world. One of shapeshifting rhythm, elevating every beat and groove with the subtle magnetism of her voice. With its graceful collision of soul and psychedelia and sometimes ’70s funk, it invites self-reflection and wildly joyful movement.
At turns ecstatic and heavy-hearted. And gloriously shambolic and deeply purifying. This album’s the outcome of Ford’s personal transformation.
It departs from the guitar-driven and largely solitary songwriting that’s defined Ford’s previous work. Much of U kin B the Sun took shape from spontaneous collaboration with her longtime bassist Darren Parris and drummer Leon Power. Across several late-night sessions in summer 2018, they joined producer John Raham. Together dreaming up a brilliantly untethered sound, recording as they improvised and continually tapping into their potent camaraderie.
See Frazey up close, and let the music wash over you, in Gateshead in early 2027.
Need to know
Venue: Sage One (all seated)
Price: From £33.50
Stage Times: Announced nearer showtime.
Age: Under 14s must be accompanied by an adult.
More about the album
U kin B the Sun was recorded at Raham’s Afterlife Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, also featuring Craig McCaul on guitar and Phil Cook on keys. It follows Ford’s 2014 release Indian Ocean, made with members of legendary Memphis soul band The Hi Rhythm Section showing traces of Ford’s groove-heavy sensibilities. But this album finds Ford embracing the soulful musicality she first displayed in fronting an Al Green cover band in her early 20’s.
It partly draws inspiration from several instances of serendipity during her international touring in support of Indian Ocean. Including playing separate rooms in the same venue as D’Angelo one night in Holland. This eventually prompted her 2017 cover of the iconic neo-soul singer’s When We Get By. On a deeper level, U kin B the Sun’s raw vitality reflects Ford’s profound growth over the past few years.
Ford made a point of preserving many of the lightning-in-a-bottle moments captured during the first sessions for U kin B the Sun. As a result, the album embodies the same untamed and ineffable energy that guided its creation.
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