Song Premiere: Kenny Neal and Son Micah Willis ‘Devil’s In The Delta’

Song Premiere: Kenny Neal and Son Micah Willis ‘Devil’s In The Delta’

Louisiana’s swamp blues is more alive than ever thanks to Grammy nominee Kenny Neal, Baton Rouge’s beloved bluesman. His new single “Devil’s In The Delta” features his son Micah Willis, and is set to release February 28th via Verdict Music. A contemporary bluesman whose music is known for swampy blues, funky rhythms, deeply soulful vocals and tasteful guitar riffs, Kenny Neal is a multi Blues Music Award-Winner who is a second generation blues musician.

What sets “Devil’s In The Delta” apart from Kenny Neal’s previous expansive body of work, is the addition of his talented son Micah Willis, a noted singer and songwriter who alternates singing verses with his father and also contributes harmonies. His voice is a smooth, contemporary counterpart to Neal’s gravely tone in this song, his soulfulness running deep not unlike his father. But there’s more ahead for the gifted Willis, based on his vocals here. Neal and Willis both produced the song.

“Devil’s in the Delta” is as raw as it is real, with Neal’s gritty vocal and haunting harmonica. Willis’ crisp vocal lifts up the song just enough, especially when he and his dad sing in unison, “Lordy Lord.”

“Devil’s in the Delta” reflects Neal’s musical roots and native home turf, but it also represents his signature playing style. You can hear the connection between Neal and his son Micah in their vocals that are closely knit but with distinct vocal differences. Part of the magic on this tune is Frederick Neal on keyboards, Amos Singleton on keyboards, Darnell Neal on bass, and Michael Harris on drums.

Kenny Neal says, ““This project was a great experience to sit back and watch my youngest son, Micah, give a hundred and fifty percent of his all, every step of the way. His performance was excellent, and it makes me feel good to know that the Blues will live on for generations to come, passing the torch.”

“Devil’s In The Delta”

 
Pre-order the new single HERE

The oldest of ten children, Kenny Neal didn’t stand a chance of escaping the influence of his own father’s music. His dad, Raful Neal, the family patriarch, was an accomplished and well known blues musician from Louisiana and the first to break ground and pave the way. Music is most definitely in the family’s DNA.

“Now I know how my Dad, the late, great ‘Blues Man’ Raful Neal, felt when I would share the stage with him,” Kenny Neal says. “As a young kid at the early age of six or seven – and well beyond my childhood years, as a young man – it was truly a thrill to perform alongside my father. He inspired my love of music, especially the Blues and eventually, I followed in his footsteps and launched my own career. Now, several generations later, I’m passing the torch to my own son just like my Dad did with me. I’m so very proud to watch my son Micah take the torch even further… continuing the tradition, preserving our rich culture and cementing our legacy for many generations to come.”

An accomplished singer-songwriter and musician in his own right, Micah Willis sees the new song from his own perspective. “’Devil’s in the Delta’ is unlike any song I have done genre-wise,” adds Willis. “It challenged me to dig deep and find my bluesy sound. There are a lot of people out there who aren’t convinced your music can span across several genres. They like to put you in a box – and with me being a pop/R&B artist – it was rewarding to prove that you can put out a really cool song that doesn’t necessarily fit the box they try to put you in. Working with my dad was also super fun and fascinating. We both have different creative processes when it comes to recording and making a record. I think we both learned a lot from each other working on this project.”

With Kenny based in Baton Rouge and Micah in Salt Lake City, Utah, the father/son collaboration was largely made possible through the use of various technologies that allowed them to essentially work together while being thousands of miles apart.

After the tracks were recorded, mixed and mastered, Micah then flew down to Baton Rouge to shoot the companion music video with his father. The resulting track is not only refreshing, it’s a well-produced song with an infectious, catchy hook.

Kenny Neal website

Micah Willis’ socials