Billy Valentine - Billy Valentine & The Universal Truth (2023)

Billy Valentine is one of the great soul voices working in America (‘the secret weapon of almost every songwriter in L.A.’) – with a history as deep and varied as the Young-Hold Trio, the original touring company of ‘The Wiz’, in collaboration with his brother as ‘The Valentine Brothers’, right up to credits that include Swedish House Mafia. Conceived in the summer of 2020, it is a response to the throes of a global pandemic and the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd. More than a covers album, this record uncovers the works of the likes of Cur5s Mayfield, Gil Scot Heron, and Pharaoh Sanders in a new setting. Recorded at EastWest Studios (formally the historic United Western Recorders), produced and mixed by Dave Way, and featuring a stella cast of session musicians, the album is as sonically stunning as it is moving.