Riding the momentum of his most recent double disc release, (The Gun Show and Shine On), Heath McNease is back again less than 8 months later with a brand new collection of singer/songwriter material. The House Always wins is 10 tracks exploring McNease’s growth as an artist.
“I really wanted to swing for the fences in a way that I haven’t yet. As I’ve grown as an emcee… the foundation of that has always been to take risks lyrically and sonically. I’ve always been relentless with my approach towards rhyme schemes, subject matter, delivery, musical textures, and overall presentation as a hip-hop artist. I’ve traveled the full range of emotions from the silly and trivial to the stark and gritty… always trying to maintain my personality with my own unique insight. Since I control the lyrics and am responsible for nearly all production choices made whether it’s actually writing the music on guitar or piano or building the beats from scratch…or working with another producer… I’ve always done it my way. I felt it was time to approach my singer/songwriter material with the same focus and attention. Shine On was an awesome experience as I dove in and tested the waters. I loved what I came up with. But I feel The House Always Wins is leaps and bounds beyond what I’ve ever done as an artist. Musically, melodically, lyrically, production wise… everything was done in 3 days. We threw the whole kitchen sink at the process, and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome,” McNease said.
When asked about his recent forays into the world of coffee shop existentialism and pop sensibility, McNease answered, “I’m never gong to run away from hip-hop, because it is my first love. But it has become blatantly apparent to me that the demand for more acoustic material doesn’t just exist from fans… it exists in myself. I love this outlet of expression, and I fully plan to make one rap album and one songwriter album every year from now on. That will satisfy my hunger for branching out… and it will unite and broaden my amazingly loyal and enthusiastic fan base.”
The album, produced by Nashville based mad scientist Don Chaffer, covers the spectrum of Heath’s musical influences. Folk, reggae, pop, hip hop, and stripped down acoustic performances in the lane of Elliot Smith, Jack Johnson, and even Andrew Bird. It releases on iTunes, Amazon, Emusic, and all major digital outlets on Tuesday, February 22nd for an extremely affordable $3.99.
I like Heath.
This. Album. Is. AMAZING.
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