Eddie 9-volt Unleashes His Bluesy Soul with “3AM in Chicago”

Eddie 9-volt grew up south of Atlanta, in Georgia, a state noted for its legendary soul men: Otis Redding and Little Richard. From an early age, the region’s sounds beckoned to the budding musician, and he began playing Atlanta clubs at 15. It’s nine years later, and Eddie 9-volt has grown into his Southern, hot soul sound. Little Black Flies is Eddie 9-volt’s new album releasing on 28 May via Ruf Records, and it’s a barnstormer with upbeat tracks laden with horns and good time fun.

For his single, “3AM in Chicago”, Eddie sets up a slower burn with gentler grooves than the surrounding album tracks. There’s no less intensity, though. The vocals bring passion to the slinky, bluesy guitar lines inspired by Stax Records and Memphis soul.

Eddie tells PopMatters, “’3AM in Chicago’ was a song I recorded after listening to a bunch of Stax and Memphis artists. I wanted to have that R&B backbone with blues guitar all through it. It was one of the songs on the album that I wanted to have more depth and structure. I got the wonderful Mandi Strachota on background vocals. She gave such a great performance in one take. It’s one of my favorites on the album.”