The Grammy-nominated artist and multi-instrumentalist Allison Russell announced her new album The Returner. The collection is expected to arrive on September 8 via Fantasy Records.
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The powerhouse vocalist released the title track upon the album reveal. The track flawlessly intertwines instrumentals with her bluesy and R&B vocals.
Russell penned and produced the moving anthem alongside dim star, her partner JT Nero and Drew Lindsay. She recorded “The Returner” in December 2022 at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California.
The record will include contributions from her Rainbow Coalition band, composed of all female musicians. Frequent collaborators Brandi Carlile, Brandy Clark, Hozier, and Wendy & Lisa will make a special guest appearance.
“My goal with The Returner – sonically, poetically, and spiritually – is a radical reclamation of the present tense, a real-time union of body, mind, and soul,” explained the singer/songwriter. “This album is a much deeper articulation of rhythm, groove, and syncopation. Groove as it heralds the self back into the body, groove as it celebrates sensual and sexual agency and flowering, groove as an urgent call to action and political activism.”
Russell continued to describe how she experimented in the studio to cultivate a unique sound that would help communicate the album’s themes.
“In just a word, it’s funkier. But as is the history of anything funky, it’s never just a party. It is a multiverse of energies that merges the celebration and the battle of cry,” declared Russell. “For while an embrace of the present tense is a celebration, it is equally an unquestioning leap into battle – cultural, political, environmental.”
The project will follow her debut solo album, Outside Child.
To support The Returner, Russell is scheduled to hit the road. She will kick-start her run with a two-night stand at The Gorge Amphitheater, serving as direct support for Joni Mitchell on June 9. Russell’s trek will end in late September after her appearance at Newport Folk Festival.
Photo by Gary Miller/Getty Images
