Little Feat is gearing up to release a new album for the first time in 12 years with Sam’s Place. The band is dropping the first single from the album, “You’ll Be Mine,” today (March 7), along with announcing a summer tour. Sam’s Place will drop on May 17 and can be preordered now.
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One of the rock world’s most influential bands, Little Feat is now releasing their first blues album featuring conga player Sam Clayton on lead vocals for every track. The first single is a cover of the Willie Dixon-written Howlin’ Wolf song “You’ll Be Mine,” and eight of the nine tracks were recorded at Sam Phillips Recording in Memphis, Tennessee. The odd one out is “Got My Mojo Working (Live),” which was recorded live at Boulder Theatre.
Additionally, Bonnie Raitt provides vocals alongside Clayton on “Long Distance Call,” originally by Muddy Waters. There are also amazing instrumental collaborations on the album, such as Michael “Bull” LoBue on harmonica, Marc Franklin on trumpet, and Art Edmaiston on saxophone.
The inception of Sam’s Place was really a collaborative effort from the entirety of Little Feat. Bill Payne started with the idea, and the band quickly jumped on it. Sam Clayton, Fred Tackett, and Scott Sharrard penned a new song, “Milk Man,” about Clayton’s nephew, and Raitt suggested “You’ll Be Mine.” Sharrard suggested a Bobby Charles song, “Why People Like That,” while Clayton chose to include the Muddy Waters deep cut “Don’t Go No Further.”
[RELATED: Little Feat Announce Release of Remastered Albums ‘Sailin’ Shoes’ and ‘Dixie Chicken’]
Little Feat Announce First Blues Album, Plus Can’t Be Satisfied 2024 Summer Tour
Recording at Sam Phillips was done live in the studio. While Little Feat is classified as a rock band, as Sharrard noted, “the blues is home,” and they crafted their first blues album with a musical conversation that was “flawless,” according to Payne.
This new album is a long time coming for Sam Clayton. As he said in a press release, “I’m very happy because I was never expecting anything like that. I mean, I have wanted to, but I just wasn’t expecting it to come to fruition. It was a long wait, but it’s satisfying.”
Little Feat is also embarking on their Can’t Be Satisfied 2024 Summer Tour in support of Sam’s Place. The tour kicks off on May 31 in Berkeley, California, and continues until August 31 in Saratoga Springs, New York. Head to StubHub to check for tickets.
Featured Image by Fletcher Moore
