Imelda May With New Album On Verve

Photo Credit: Barry McCall

“Ms. May has a rich, tangy voice and sultry presence”—The New York Times

“‘Refined rockabilly’ may seem like a contradiction in terms, but that’s what the dynamic
Irish singer and her five-piece band pull off.”—USA Today

“…an Irish singer whose music straddles the line
between rockabilly and blues.”—NPR “All Things Considered”

“Places her rich, pouty voice inside coils of
surf guitar and thumping stand-up bass…”—Rolling Stone

Ireland’s Imelda May is set to release her third album, Tribal, out July 29 with Verve Records. Watch the video HERE for “It’s Good To Be Alive” and the Tribal album teaser HERE. This record marks the first release from May since 2010’s Mayhem, of which The Los Angeles Timescommented, “Dublin, Ireland-born Imelda May’s career is fostered by paying homage to legends like Buddy Holly and Johnny Cash and, more importantly, furthering rockabilly’s cross-pollination into New Orleans jazz, delta blues and amp-splitting punk aggression,” and The NY Daily News hailed, “…she has vocal chops that put nearly any singer from that era to shame.”

Although May became a mother just last summer, “There are no lullabies on this album,” she assures. May took about three months to write the songs for Tribal—she co-wrote “Little Pixie” with her brother Fintan Clabby, and her husband Darrel Higham wrote both “Ghost of Love” and “Five Good Men.” The band recorded the album at Livingston Studios in West London where May co-produced the album with producer Mike Crossey. Of Tribal, May says “I wanted toinject the rebelliousness of punk and early rock ‘n’ roll into this album.”

Imelda got her first taste of the rockabilly sound as a child listening to her brother’s cassettes of Elvis, Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent. “I liked the scariness of them,” she says, “And I remember being terrified by The Specials singing Ghost Town. And also by horror films. I was drawn to the thrill, the combination of edginess and fun. And that’s what still does it for me.” Her own brand of rockabilly sound has been a hit, with her previous release Mayhem hitting Platinum in Ireland and Gold in the U.K. May has seen performances on “Later With Jools Holland,” “Conan,” “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” and four performances on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” to name a few. Performing a fusion of surf guitars, blues and rockabilly, her current lineup consists of husband Darrel Higham on guitars, Al Gare on double-bass, Dave Priseman on trumpet and Steve Rushton on drums. The band has shared stages with Chuck Berry, David Gilmore, Shane Macgowan, Van Morrison, Jeff Beck, Wanda Jackson, Paul Brady, Jamie Cullum, and Meatloaf.