JD McPherson to release Rounder Records debut "Signs and Signifiers" April 17

Named as an “artist you should know” in 2011 by NPR, singer-songwriter JD McPherson will make his Rounder Records debut April 17 with the release of “Signs and Signifiers,” “a rockin’, bluesy, forward-thinking album that subtly breaks the conventions of most vintage rock projects,” according to All Music. (His first album on Rounder Records actually will be the re-release of McPherson’s 2010 indie album.)

Known for energetic live shows, McPherson and his band will hit the road in support of the release this spring with stops in Austin (SXSW), New York, Boston, Chicago, and other cities.

Hailing from Broken Arrow, the former art teacher and his band traveled to Chicago to record “Signs and Signifiers” at Hi-Style studio, which is housed in the attic of producer/bassist/studio owner Jimmy Sutton’s home and is 100 percent analog. “I have recorded this style of music in the digital realm, and it just doesn’t quite ‘sing’ as much. Slamming that ¼-inch tape really hard produced the most beautiful distortion I’ve ever heard,” says McPherson in a news release.

Featuring JD McPherson (lead and backing vocals, guitar), Jimmy Sutton (bass), and Alex Hall (drums, piano, organ), the album was recorded through a collection of vintage microphones into an old 1960’s Berlant 1/4-inch tape machine. The 12-track album kicks off with the fervent pulse of the first single, “North Side Gal,” and segues into one of the albums two covers, McPherson’s take on “Country Boy,” an old R&B number originally written and recorded by Tiny Kennedy.

Preferring not to be painted into a corner with labels, McPherson asks, “What is retro? Is Adele too retro? Is La Roux too retro? To me, Adele sounds like a product of her influences… as is the case with anybody else. With the recurring interest in soul or even R&B, there seems to be a line most artists won’t cross—that line into the world of the swinging, visceral abandon of real rock ‘n’ roll.”