Born and raised in Oklahoma, JD McPherson dedicated his career to revival of vintage r'n'b, blues and rock 'n' roll sound. Even though his beginnings were not tied to music, but to video installations, one of his performances with the root ensemble from Tulse, Starkweather Boys, attracted the attention of retro rock producer, Jimmy Sutton.
Sutton, who was a bassist in The Mighty Blue Kings and Four Charms, invited McPherson to play with him, enabling him to start thinking about his solo career. His first album, Signs & Signifiers, produced by Sutton, came out in 2010 under Hi-Style records. Northside Gal became his first hit single and allowed him to reach wide audience. McPherson's second full length studio album Let The Good Times Roll dropped in 2015 and peaked at #17 on Billboard Top Rock Album chart.
What do we get on his third effort titled Undivided Heart and Soul? From pop charm Desperate Love and romantic r'n'b ballads with a spark of Memphis soul, Hunting for Sugar and Jubilee, to classic rockabilly ride Bloodhound Rock and fuzztone in the manner of The Kinks Style (Is A Losing Game), McPherson took us on an incessant rock'n'roll journey, in which the modern and the traditional intertwined in the most spectacular fashion.
Many people participated in this project, either directly or indirectly. Crying Is Just The Thing You Do was written in collaboration with Butch Walker, and Desperate Love with Parker Millsap. Under The Spell Of City Lights came from the pen of Lee Tasjan and Dan Molad, the bassist of the band Lucius and the guy who also produced this LP. Alongside all of these positive influences, McPherson brought his skill for writing poems, adding a fun layer of mirthful lyrics to the compact structure of sonic matrix.
Although Undivided Heart and Soul does not differ in style from its predecessors, it delivers a more dark and energetic approach. It's as If during the recording of the album McPherson was driving through multiple crossroads. Maybe the credits for this go to historic RCA Studio B in Nashville where the album was recorded, or it's all due to Josh Homme from The Queens Of The Stone Age with whom McPherson had a famous session in Californian desert. What's the truth will always remain hidden between recording tapes. Anyhow, another step forward for rock'n'roll.
