I Thought I’d put something up a little different. Here is a rough song demo called Lonely Road that didn’t make the cut for my Delta Tales album back in 2020. It didn’t pass the Ace test! But here is a little glimpse of how the sausage gets made and how sometimes it ends up on the floor! – Sun King Rising
Sun King Rising‘s debut album, Delta Tales was released worldwide a year ago in multiple formates; CD, digital, and vinyl which has been delayed due to the pandemic, but is still on track for release.
AboutSun King Rising?
Sun King Rising is the professional moniker of singer/songwriter/piano player John Blangerowho hails from Port Isabel, Texas. Blangero is steeped in the traditions of southern rock and country soul. His music, arrangements, and vocal stylings have a strong ’70s vibe reminiscent of Leon Russell and Joe Cocker, while also sounding fresh and new. Blangero’s songs are filled with memorable hooks, rocking piano, driving rhythms, a powerful horn section, and soulful female background singers a la’ Ray Charles’ Raelettes.
“I’ve been wanting to do a solo Americana/southern soul/classic rock type of album for many years,” Blangero said. “I wanted to capture some of that classic rock and soul vibe in my own songs. So, I started writing and recording solo demos of songs like Let There Be Light, Down the Delta Road, Drive Me to Nashville, In A State of Grace, and Love Turns Grey
The recording of Delta Tales was a fascinating task, spanning four months, from January 2020 to mid-May. The Coronavirus shutdown in April forced Blangero and Acker to complete the production remotely with players and singers dubbing their parts over the basic tracks in several different studios across the country.
Said Blangero, “It was a logistical challenge, but Ace did a great job organizing the players and the sessions. I am proud of this record. We captured the magic that I’ve always heard in my head with great background singers, classic horn parts, tight rhythm sections, killer guitar, funky keys, and my own acoustic piano parts. It sounds like it could have been recorded in the early 70s, which is the vibe I was going for.”
In closing, Blangero said, “I tried to capture my southern soul on this album. I hope that the overall message it conveys is one of positivity, especially in these dark times. I think we have put together strong songs that will make people tap their feet and sing along, too! For me, the song is everything.”
Produced by Steven “Ace” Acker, formerly of notable 1970s MCA recording artists. LAW, the album is a collection of nine original songs and a 1969 R&B gem titled, “The Snake.” It was a complex production involving multiple studios and numerous top players and singers scattered throughout the country. While not a concept album, per se, “Delta Tales” is thematically coherent. It is about the southern experience. Its songs are vignettes of love found, love lost, family, faith, historical burden, betrayal, sin, and redemption set in a southern cultural landscape. Yet, they are also universal themes.
CD TrackListing
The Snake Milkweed And Thistle Down The Delta Road In A State Of Grace Take It Down Beneath The Southern Sun Evangeline In The Morning Love Turns Grey Drive Me To Nashville Let There Be Light
Sun King Rising scores in a big way with this album and admirers of Delta Tales will look forward to a future burning with promise…. – Melody Maker
“This is a stomper and a raver that’s sure to take you back even if you weren’t there in the first place. Hot stuff…” – Midwest Record Entertainment
Delta Tales…brings such all-encompassing passion and musical vision to bear on the album’s ten cuts that it is a complete listening experience. There are no holes in this release. – NeuFutur Magazine
Soaring progressive-rock grandeur meets deeply soulful Southern rock at the crossroads of Delta Tales. – Elmore Magazine
It is rare indeed to be captivated by just the first few bars of a record, but I was immediately intrigued to discover something earthy and full of heart and soul…. – House of Prog
Delta Tales is full of dramatic close-ups, panoramic sweep, heart-stopping highs, and melodies unfolding as natural as breathing… – Hollywood Digest
ORLANDO, FL—PeacockSunrise Records has released a two-song extended play single from the upcoming album, Delta Tales by Sun King Rising.
The songs are Milkweed and Thistle and Free Will in China Blue, composed by singer-songwriter and keyboardist John Blangero. Both songs are upbeat Southern Soul rockers in the mold of early Joe Cocker and Elton John and the classic recordings of various 1970s Muscle Shoals and Memphis recording artists. They come complete with driving horn sections and female background vocal choruses.
Drawn from the Delta Tales CD and vinyl LP, these are songs to make listeners move and groove…and think. “My lyrics draw heavily from classic themes of sin and redemption, love and loss, triumph and tragedy, liberally sprinkled with biblical and gospel music imagery,” said Blangero. “They are evocative and mysterious while connecting with listeners on deep emotional and visceral levels.”
The b-side Free Will in China Blue is being released initially as a digital bonus track for the 10-song CD. For the LP, it replaces one of those songs, Down the Delta Road, which will serve as a digital bonus track for the LP.
Both the CD and vinyl versions of the album are to be released on October 2nd this year.
Milkweed and Thistle John Blangero – Lead Vocal/Piano/Organ George Perilli – Drums Joe Macre – Bass Steve Schuffert – Guitar Hermie Granati – Keyboard orchestration & BG Vocals arrangement Shawn Mayer, Rozz Chapman, Kelly Connors – Background Vocals David Granati – Engineer
Free Will In China Blue George Perilli—Drums Joe Macre—Bass Willie Ross and Ace Acker—Guitars Stephanie Wellons & Joy Brown—Background vocals Terminus Horns: Horn Section John Blangero—Lead vocal/Piano/Organ Ace Acker—Producer David Granati–Engineer Brian Foraker—Final Mix & Master Recorded at Maplewood Studio–Ambridge, PA
Cover art Nick Katona, Revolution Studios, Florida
Sun King Rising has just released an 11-minute teaser video for their upcoming debut album, Delta Tales, slated for an early October release. The video samples the album’s ten tasty Americana tracks, infused with plenty of southern rock and blues and the perfect touch of Gospel seasoning to soothe the soul.
The recording, mixing, and mastering for Delta Tales is complete and out of post-production. The artwork is being designed now at the label and manufacturing is just around the corner.
The album features 25 top musicians and vocalists from across the USA: Pennsylvania, Ohio, Utah, Mississippi, and Tennessee further infusing this album with a gritty Americana rock sensibility. Sun King Rising is the solo project of singer-songwriter John Blangero who hails from the great state of Texas. John enlisted legendary Ohio producer Ace Acker for the project and the result is stunning.
Asked how he would describe his musical palette as a painter might describe it, Blangero replied, “Like cane fields in a Deep South Delta. I paint my music as an impressionist paints the sun. You can almost smell the heat and humidity and the soil of the wetlands. My musical landscapes are human textures of toil, honor, hospitality, and grace, steeped in the religious symbolism of southern culture.”
Nine of the album’s tracks are original compositions, with one surprising southern soul band cover thrown in to rock the house. Blangero cites the Rolling Stones, Joe Cocker, Leon Russell, Humble Pie, and Dan Penn as his principal inspirations for Delta Tales.
PeacockSunrise Records (PSR) is thrilled to welcome The Sun King Reborn to its family for the release of their upcoming debut album “Delta Tales” due out in 2019.
The Sun King Reborn is the solo project of composer, vocalist, and piano player John Blangero from Port Isabel, Texas (USA). The music of The Sun King Reborn is filled with memorable hooks, rocking piano, driving rhythms, and a powerful horn section.
The songs will fill your dreams with memories of lost loves warm nights under the magnolia trees, sweet gospel music, and all-night parties at the local honky-tonk.
Steeped deep in the tradition of southern rock, roots music and country soul, John writes songs that are influenced by such classic artists as Leon Russell, Joe Cocker, and Dan Penn, but that are colored by his own musical style.
From poignant country soul ballads to up-tempo classic rock, The Sun King Reborn provides a musical backdrop for the lives of the southern working class. The band are currently in the studio putting the finishing touches to “Delta Tales.”
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