Iowa singer-songwriter, artist and author, Chad Elliott, independently releases Rest Heavy: The Sun Studio Sessions TODAY, August 10, 2018. With Rest Heavy, Elliott shows his love of roots-rock, soul, and blues music with a rocking band behind his artfully crafted songs and gravelly delivery. The self-produced album was recorded by Ples Hampton at the famed Sun Studio in Memphis, TN. Hampton said, “It was honestly one of the best sessions I’ve ever had up here. This is gold.”
Elliott’s writing weaves love, loss and forgiveness into well-worn lyrics with timeless melodies. “Low, loose, and full of juice. This album’s got a lot of life to it,” said acclaimed Iowa singer-songwriter Greg Brown.
Elliott, performing on acoustic guitar and harmonica, is joined by his full band, The Redemptions, which includes Tommy Lewis (electric guitar, harmonica, background vocals), Travis McFarlane (piano, B3 organ, keys), Kevin Boehnke (acoustic guitar, trumpet), Joseph Cafaro (upright bass), and Jim Van Dorn (drums).
“I could, literally, feel the shift in the music just by walking through the doors at Sun Studio. The room seemed to have its own electric currency running through it and it made the songs come alive. We walked away feeling like we had an out of body experience. There were times I would just sit in the corners and look into the air of the room to see if that legendary music was still floating there, mixing with ours,” Elliott said.
Elliott performs more than 200 shows each year and is lauded as “Iowa’s Renaissance Man” by Culture Buzz. He has cultivated over 1,000 songs in his career while also honing his skills as a painter, sculptor, and children’s book author/illustrator (Wilderman’s Treetop Tales). He recently published a poetry book, Rumble & Flash.
“Iowa suggests such names as Greg Brown, Bo Ramsey, and Pieta Brown among others but now singer-songwriter, artist and author, Chad Elliott can join their esteemed company with Rest Heavy. Even if you didn’t know that these tracks were recorded at Sun Studios in Memphis, you’d still sense a bit of that Elvis Presley style in Elliot’s mix of roots-rock, soul, blues and modern gospel… This album just oozes soul, truth, and seems rather timeless as it could have been recorded almost any time in the last fifty-sixty years.”
–Elmore, Jim Hynes
“Rest Heavy… opens with an arpeggiated piano riff and cymbal crash before launching into a leaned-back, eyes-closed, soulful-howl gospel-blues tune of which Sam Cooke would have approved… As he croon-wails his way through tracks that range from hardscrabble stories and ain’t-life-like-that tunes to songs of somber reflection, his constellation of influences is clear, with stylized moments and melodic arrangements that evoke the likes of Tom Waits, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen and Doc Watson.”
—Little Village Magazine, Lucas Benson
“ … there is a timeless feel all along the tracks that tell his talent.. roots rock, gospel, soul, blues in a perfect spirit… I would even say this album is the perfect tribute to the spirit of the Sun Studios. I already listened at least 10 times to it and these songs take me with them…”
–Mike Penard, ISA Radio, France
“Right out of the gates with the title track, ‘Rest Heavy,’ the listener knows they are about to take a journey” —A Soulful Sound
“[‘Rest Heavy’ is] a modern gospel love song written on Easter Sunday that grabs your heart and soul with its classic harmonica-infused melody, tempered backbeat, and Elliott’s gravelly yet warm delivery that nods to the memory of the greats who made their mark at Sun.”
–The Daily Country premieres the title track “Rest Heavy”
“Rest Heavy jumps right at you and doesn’t let go. The whole piece has an edge you can shave with.”
–Rob Ellen, Medicine Show Radio (UK)
“Chad’s songs are inspired by real life and by real people. They’re not conjured up in a cookie cutter fashion designated by songwriting rules or regulations. He sings out loud and proud about the places he’s been, the things he’s seen, his life experiences and those of his family and friends.”
–Bronson Herrmuth
Rest Heavy Track Listing:
1. Rest Heavy (3:12)
2. Shy of Shameless (5:23)
3. Hills of Tennessee (3:29)
4. Shining Stars (4:22)
5. Cadillac Problems, Buick Times (4:56)
6. Alberta (4:20)
7. Slow Again (3:47)
8. Dirty River (Catfish Blues) (3:45)
9. Embarcadero Street (5:08)
10. Water Under the Bridge (7:06)
11. St. James Infirmary (6:21)
Chad Elliott – vocals, electric guitar, harmonica
Tommy Lewis – electric guitar, harmonica, vocals, track 10 chorus
Travis McFarlane – piano, B3 organ, keys, track 10 chorus
Kevin Boehnke – acoustic guitar, trumpet, track 10 chorus
Joseph Cafaro – upright bass, track 10 chorus
Jim Van Dorn – drums (all), track 10 chorus
Roger D. Feldhans – track 10 chorus
All songs written by Chad Elliott except “St. James Infirmary” (Anonymous)
For more information, tour dates and news from Chad Elliott, please visit www.chadelliott.net
