Emerging R&B Singer-songwriter Lauren Dukes releases her self-titled debut EP.
For years Lauren Dukes has made a name for showcasing her talent for performing throughout the local Chicago scene. Her self-titled debut EP is a welcome calling card to an artist ready to breakthrough. Along with the EP, Lauren releases her latest live session video for L Boogie.
Lauren Dukes EP encompasses a blend of blues, soul, jazz and R&B with Faith as the foundation that brings it all together. Each song keeps a common threat of story-telling using real experiences that we can all relate to. The lead single “Hectic Love Week” tells a story about an unstable relationship, without straight glorifying toxicity.
Lauren explains, “The song is about one of those couples that repeatedly break up, then make up. It’s almost a weekly pattern. Everyone knows a couple like this or is in a relationship like this. It was inspired by a friend from a former band who was constantly breaking up with his girlfriend and then getting right back together. With his permission, I wrote about it at Andy Sutton’s studio; Sutton Music Co, and recorded it with A. Latavius Mulzac from Nashville on keys, Kirk Garrison from the Lieutenant Dan Band on Trumpet, and Shawn Maxwell from Chicago on Sax.”
“Closure” is a song with many applications, however, at its core the piece is about wanting what we may not be able to have again & having to accept whatever that answer is in the end.
On the self-titled debut, Dukes keeps a common thread of story-telling. The project encompasses a blend of blues, soul, jazz and R&B with Faith as the foundation that brings it all together.
“Much of what I write starts off by asking (God, the universe, then myself) “What is the message You want me to deliver? Then, I ask, “What do I want to express?””
Lauren Dukes
The production behind the project is propelled by Lauren Dukes’ band, a talented cast of musicians including Nic Byrd (Guitar), Andy Sutton (drums & producer), Ola Timothy (Bass), Kris Lohn (Bass), Moses Hall (Keys), Latavius Mulvac (on Keys), Aiden Dehn (Sax), Shawn Maxwell (Sax), Shaun Martin of Snarky Puppy (Keys), Marques Carroll (Trumpet), Kirk Garrison (Trumpet), & Nicole Garza (background vocals).
The EP demonstrate Dukes’ commitment to her craft. She concludes, “Everything I do is with my whole heart. It is my passion. My ministry. I want everyone to walk away from listening feeling better than the way they came. Music has the power to do that, and I’m honored to get this opportunity to hopefully contribute.”
Listen to the album here.