Tuning into The Soul Station, Jarvis Church’s inimitable ear for inventive tributes to his favourite soul singers continues to soar, this time with Vol 3: A Tribute to Bill Withers and Beyond.
Paying fitting homage to the late legend, while remaining unique all on its own, the new release is the latest in Church’s ongoing series, The Soul Station.
“This time, however, there’s a twist,” Jarvis reveals of the new offering that features four inventive and contemporary reimaginings of Withers’ hits. “I decided to lose the retro sound, and interpret these classics with contemporary modern production.
“And, for each of the modern production styles of the four Bill Withers classics, I used contemporary hits as sonic references.
“See if you can identify them…”
The Soul Station Vol 3 includes “Just The Two Of Us,” “Lovely Day,” “Use Me,” and “Ain’t No Sunshine.”
Deliberately missing? “Lean On Me,” Church affirms. “I did about five versions of it, but couldn’t get a modern take I was happy with. Club Nouveau’s version was one of my favourite songs when I was a kid; there was just no way to top that.”
It’s this unbridled passion for soul music and modern production that fuse together to make Church’s The Soul Station Vol 3: A Tribute To Bill Withers and Beyond so special. Listening to the retro addition of high-pitched saxophone wailing, coupled with modern house synths and drum kits, invites new and old listeners alike to experience the song from a unique angle.
“The album also features five original songs that take my love of soul and house music ‘Beyond,’” he adds, with a nod to the title. “It is the ‘Beyond’ part that was an invitation for me to make the kind of music that really excites me, especially since, like so many people around the world, I found solace in my craft during the isolation of the pandemic. The genesis of The Soul Station series was my love for performing live… What better way than combining my 20-year catalog of original songs with my favourite soul singer classics?”
Based in Los Angeles, with his roots in Toronto, Jarvis Church is the lead singer for the R&B-pop group The Philosopher Kings; it was during the group’s 10-year hiatus that he started his solo career with the release of his debut album, Shake It Off.
From there, Jarvis Church has actively been paying homage to the artists who inspired him as a young soul singer. Following the release of his past Soul Station Volumes, including The Soul Station Vol. 1: The Songs of Sam Cooke, A Tribute, and The Soul Station Vol 2: The Songs of Curtis Mayfield: A Tribute, Church moves forward with his newest album release.
