Twenty four-year-old Quinn Sullivan came to prominence as a young guitar virtuoso who, after a chance encounter with Buddy Guy at the age of 8, would go on to become a buzzed-about blues phenom.
When it came time to write and record his fifth album, Salvation, the singer-songwriter-guitarist was processing the sudden passing of his mother. The resulting 11-track album is his most personal. Salvation honors Quinnโs musical roots while forging his path forward as an emotive and engaging singer-songwriter
โMy mom was my guiding light on this record,โ the New Bedford, Massachusetts-based artist says. โIโm not a religious person, but salvation, to me, means saving yourself from a traumatic experience. Thatโs what this album did for me.โ...
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Twenty four-year-old Quinn Sullivan came to prominence as a young guitar virtuoso who, after a chance encounter with Buddy Guy at the age of 8, would go on to become a buzzed-about blues phenom.
When it came time to write and record his fifth album, Salvation, the singer-songwriter-guitarist was processing the sudden passing of his mother. The resulting 11-track album is his most personal. Salvation honors Quinnโs musical roots while forging his path forward as an emotive and engaging singer-songwriter
โMy mom was my guiding light on this record,โ the New Bedford, Massachusetts-based artist says. โIโm not a religious person, but salvation, to me, means saving yourself from a traumatic experience. Thatโs what this album did for me.โ
โNow, itโs about taking that music and making it my own,โ Quinn says โYou have to follow your passion and your voice. I will never lose sight of where I came from, but I have grown. This album is me taking the reins and doing my own thingโit represents a pivotal time for me.โ
Salvation bursts open with a burly Jimi Hendrix-style groove on the title track. Here, Quinn manages to seamlessly alchemize his blues-rock roots while showcasing infectious songwriting chops. The song deftly incorporates the swirling tones of a B3 organ, the expressive cries of a wah-wah pedal, and fleet-fingered blues soloing without overwhelming its modern rock sensibility. The impassioned โSalvation (Make Me Wanna Pray)โ delivers a clever twist on the journey of personal awakening against the backdrop of romantic infatuation.
Obsessive love continues to smolder on the revved-up stomper โDark Love,โ a bluesy indie-rock that recalls The Black Keys. Quinn lets his honeyed falsetto vocals drip gloriously over sleek the funk track, โOnce Upon A Lie,โ effortlessly sneaking in some breezy George Benson jazz chops in the solo.
The groove doesnโt stop on โNothinโ Gonna Change My Mind.โ This irresistible jam boasts punchy Tower of Power horns, taut Cory Wong-vibing rhythm guitar work, wah-wah drenched passages, and Quinnโs agile vocals which span a smooth tenor melting into a creamy falsetto. He directly addresses his motherโs passing with bold vulnerability on โEyes On Me (On & On),โ a blue-eyed soul ballad in the Hall & Oates tradition replete with cooing backup vocals and tasty sitar-guitar melodies that recall the vintage soul of The Chi Lites. The album concludes masterfully with The Beatles-esque ballad, โHalf My Heart.โ
Salvation was produced by John Fields (Jonas Brothers, Pink, Har Mar Superstar), and co-written with Fields and Kevin Bowe (Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Etta James) in Minneapolis. The album was tracked in a feverishly-inspired two weeksโthe fastest Quinnโs made a record.
Salvation is an artistic milestone that has been part of a larger journey in artistic autonomy and reclamation. โThis record taught me not to be afraid to be who I am,โ Quinn says. โMy motherโs strength seeped through me, and gave me the confidence to sit down and make the best record I could make.โ
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