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Norman Kelsey's Second Album Journal Vol. 3

Hey Soul Mates,
remember that salutation? Well, the soul was in full effect at Karma Frog yesterday. So was the Spirit. We had Kevin Jarvis (Lucinda Williams, John Wesley Harding, Grant Lee Phillips) on the drums for the session. There were three songs on the agenda and I arrived as the first take was rolling. The first tune, called "She's My Go To" is a strong candidate for lead single. The groove was impeccable and Kevin gave it a Kid Creole flavor with the tome to go along with the dance beat it already possessed. I wouldn't have thought of that choice, but that's why I'm the singer. It was exciting to hear the rhythm come to life. Adam supplied the bass, the first time I have relinquished my Fender Jazz to another's magic fingers. Sometimes, I think Adam is just the palest black dude I know. He is fonky.

Next, we worked on my tribute to Sam Clemens and the Staple Singers. And you thought the Twain would never meet, Yount! Anyway, "Huckleberry Finn" was given a nice Mississippi River roll. Because this was a prime example of my free-form compositions with overlapping parts, the math was interesting. Fortunately, Kevin handled the bar count and made the transitions very dynamic. Kevin's snare work was a wonder to behold. Hence, my live comment on facebook about Sam knowing about the funk. Lyrically, it is one of my favorite compositions on the LP; though I'm not sure what Spike Lee will think about it.

The third track was a bit of a head-scratcher. For the pre-tracking, I multi-tracked a finger-picked acoustic guitar part. Very tasteful, but not helpful in conveying the song. We had fun discussing the directions we could take and whittling it down to the appropriate parts. Kevin's hi-hat playing will be a hi-light on the finished record. "Our Love Is Known By Name" is one for the ladies (Lady) and the lovers. Get ready to slow dance and get your back up off the wall.

Another productive day at Karma Frog. Adam is getting great performances and the process continues to be a thrill. We are taking the next two weeks off from the studio, however, Adam will be editing. Oh, I have officially pushed back the release date for the album. It will be out well before Halloween, but August 9th is too soon and I don't want to rush. That being said, the lead single will be ready in time for my summer shows.

Peace & Disco Beats!

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