Video Premiere: Kenny Neal and Micah Willis 'Devil's In The Delta'

Kenny Neal and Micah Willis

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

Rock & Blues Muse is excited to exclusively premiere the new Kenny Neal and Micah Willis video “Devil’s In The Delta” from their latest single.

The Swamp Blues are alive and well in Louisiana and what better source to report on the Blues than Louisiana’s very own multi-Blues Music Award-winner and Grammy nominee Kenny Neal, along with his son, Micah Willis. The single was released via Verdict Music.

What makes this video so special is the addition of Kenny Neal’s son Micah Willis, an equally gifted singer-songwriter who now officially represents the third generation in a very long, large and distinguished line of Neal-family musicians.

“Devil’s In The Delta,” is not just emblematic of Kenny’s musical roots and native home turf, it also represents his signature playing style…the archetypal Swamp Blues sound representative of all things Delta. This masterful collaboration unites two very different singers; but despite their stylistic differences, their voices pair nicely: Neal brings the grit, growl and gravel, while Micah Willis adds the counterpoint through his contrasting soulful vocals.

Kenny Neal says, “This video is more than just making a video; it gave my son a great education on where he came from. Micah grew up in Salt Lake City. He didn’t know very much about the Deep South and the Delta, so I had a chance to take him around and show him where his great, great grandmother was buried. We also visited the church that our family went to for over a hundred years. In addition, to some of the plantation homes that still stand after 200 years plus, it was a great experience for my son. It’s not only a cool video but a part of history that our family can go back and visit for years to come. It’s a great video, I love it…especially because my label, Verdict Music, understood what it personally meant to me and made sure some iconic sites that go back to my own childhood made it into the final cut!”

The video “Devil’s In The Delta” features father and son Kenny Neal and Micah Willis in the countryside of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a contradiction to the pain, poverty and strife in the Deep South. The video is an atmospheric depiction of life in the Delta and its deprivation. Closeups reveal the innate soulfulness traced back generations in both of these talented artists. Kenny’s swampy harmonica and gritty vocals cast a haunting and bluesy light against the backdrop of lush green fields. Digging deep into the rootsiness of the song, Willis’ voice is smooth with ragged edges in all the right places.

Watch “Devil’s In The Delta”

Stream the single HERE

Micah Willis says, “I came from Salt Lake to Baton Rouge to shoot the video. It was the perfect place for us to get the visuals we wanted. Everywhere we looked, there was a location we could use. My favorite scene though was in my late Aunt Jackie’s tour bus. We stepped in and all were like “yeah this is the perfect spot.” The lighting, the vibe, the energy. It was all perfect.”

Kenny Neal, the oldest of ten children, didn’t stand a chance of escaping the music bug. His own father, 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 quite literally in the family’s DNA.

With Kenny being based in Baton Rouge and Micah in Salt Lake City, Utah, the father/son collaboration was largely made possible through the use and reliance 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, and the rest – as they say – is family music history. The resulting track is not only refreshing, musically speaking, it’s a well-produced tune with an infectiously catchy hook; but also something to be particularly proud of as “the ties that bind” experience has only further strengthened their familial connection and cemented their musical legacy.

The band is made up of Kenny Neal (vocals, harmonica), Micah Willis (vocals), Frederick Neal (keyboards), Amos Singleton (keyboards), Darnell Neal (bass), Michael Harris (drums).