"The 14-track release...is packed with winners" - The Daily Herald
"Scales soulfully dishes out lyrics that speak to his family legacy—and the one that he wants to forge for himself." - PopMatters
"Rocking music that has heart and soul, but feels very accessible for any music fan to appreciate" - Pancakes and Whiskey
"Stirring" - Ghettoblaster Magazine
"Every verse he utters virtually oozes with emotion. We’re here for it." - East of 8th
"...it’s easy to hear the blues in his palette, but there is far more to Scales’ sound than that...Its Scales’ voice, hauntingly soulful, that carries the gravity here" - The Indy Review
LISTEN: SINNER-SONGWRITER
Today, Nashville-based artist Phillip-Michael Scales has released his long-awaited LP Sinner-Songwriter via DixieFrog Records. “This album was a perfection of what my previous effort was on the Sinner-Songwriter EP,” he says. Scales was inspired by his uncle BB King to forge his own musical path; it wasn’t until his uncle passed away that Scales began incorporating more of his uncle’s influence into his music. “These days I’m finding more of my story in the blues,” he explains. “A lot has led me here—between politics, my identity, and of course: Legacy.”
The album, recorded in LA, Nashville, Chicago, and a remote cabin in Wisconsin during the pandemic, is about love, loss, and legacy, and features Scales’ unique blend of guitar-driven indie rock combined with the story-laden blues in his DNA, a style he calls “Dive Bar Soul.” His most recent single, the sultry “Your Love’s Working Me To the Bone,” began as a beat in a bedroom that was finished with Tres Sasser (Will Hoge) and Joe Costa (Ben Folds, Amanda Palmer).
WATCH: “YOUR LOVE’S WORKING ME TO THE BONE
“When They Put Me in My Grave (ft. Archie Lee Hooker),” which PopMatters said features “electrifying licks that can’t help but call back to [B.B.] King’s iconic style…Its opening moments tease something bigger, starting with an acoustic rhythm, subtle tinges of electric lead, and Scales’ passionate vocals. Shy of 40 seconds in, the track explodes into full-throttle blues. Scales soulfully dishes out lyrics that speak to his family legacy—and the one that he wants to forge for himself.” As he explores that legacy, he sings, "I come from sons and daughters of lambs who escaped the slaughter / My bloodline should have stopped with Bones and Chains in that blue water / What will they say when they put me in my grave? / Gammy told me “Son, you better keep our flame.”
Of single “Another Man’s Sin,” Pancakes & Whiskey said, “‘Dive Bar Soul’ is how Scales describes his music and this track perfectly embodies that statement.” Album standout "O, Hallelujah” a roots-tinged foot-stomper that has surpassed 260K+ streams on Spotify alone. The 14-track journey closes with "Tell Me How I Sound Again," a commentary on microaggressions. "I’ve been told that I 'talk white' my entire life and when you break down what that actually means, it’s horrifying," he explains. "Intelligence and eloquence being equated with whiteness? So, I wrote the song. A person on my team suggested I rename it 'tell me how I look again' 'so people get it,' and I realized how important the song really was.”
Sinner-Songwriter is available now on all streaming platforms, iTunes, and Amazon Music. CDs and vinyl are available for purchase/pre-order HERE, and a CD/vinyl bundle is available for pre-order HERE. Be sure to follow Phillip-Michael Scales at the links below for the latest updates.
TOUR DATES
11/5 - THE BASEMENT - NASHVILLE, TN (Record Release Show)
11/7 - 11/11 - THE ROCK BOAT XX1 - TITUSVILLE, FL
11/18 - ANODYNE - MILWAUKEE, WI (Record Release Show)
11/19 - THELMA SADOFF CENTER FOR THE ARTS - FOND DU LAC, WI
12/10 - BEACHLAND BALLROOM - CLEVELAND, OH
