JP Soars Brick By Brick

May 9, 2024

JP Soars

Brick By Brick

Little Village Records

In February 2009 JP Soars and his band The Red Hots took home first place by winning the International Blues Challenge held annually in Memphis, Tennessee. Soars had released his independently produced album debut “Back Of My Mind” the previous year. In 2011 Soars followed-up with “More Bees With Honey” and the album began to appear on many “Best” lists including one by Bruce Springsteen’s Little Steven. Soars was nominated in 2012 for Best Contemporary Male Blues Artist at The Blues Music Awards.

In 2013 Soars was part of the all-star Southern Hospitality releasing their CD “Easy Livin'” with vocalist/guitarist Damon Fowler, vocalist/keyboardist Victor Wainwright, drummer Chris Peet, and bassist Matt Walker. JP Soars And The Red Hots released 2014’s “Full Moon in Memphis”, “Live From the Netherlands” in 2015, “Southbound I-95” in 2018, and “Let Go of the Reins”, produced by Tab Benoit, in 2019.

“Brick By Brick” is JP Soars’ first studio album in five years. All of the songs were written by Soars except for one. Soars opens with the title track, “Brick By Brick”, and sings “I built my house from the ground up”. On Jezebel Soars borrows from his gypsy Jazz vocabulary as he sings “I walk through the fire everyday”. On the recording Soars sings all lead vocals and plays all guitars, dobro, banjo, bass, lapsteel, the two-string cigar box guitar, the Merlin stick dulcimer, and the Jaw harp.

The band includes Chris Peet, drums on all tracks, and bass on four tracks. Other percussionists include Raul D. Hernandez on two tracks, and co-producer Jeremy Staska on four. Other musicians include Bob Taylor, Hammond B-3; Anne Harris, fiddle; Rockin’ Jake Jacobs, Harmonica; Terry Hanck, saxophone; and background vocalists Paul DesLauriers and Annika Chambers.

Other song highlights include “Things Ain’t Working Out”, a lament to a broken relationship; and my favorite, a masterful job on a cover of Little Milton’s “That’s What Love Will Make You Do”, which fits Soars like a glove.

Soars states that “I didn’t set out with any game plan for this album…it all seemed very natural…the album is very reflective of how I have built my music career, one brick at a time”.

Richard Ludmerer

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