James & Black
Love Flows Like a River
Bruce James and Bella Black joined musical forces in Austin, Texas in 2011 and have been on a mission spreading the word of Guerrilla Soul ever since. The roots of their music spring from the tradition of Southern Soul from Texas, New Orleans and Memphis, yet they are not a throwback. The foundation of James & Black is the voices and stories in their songs. For this duo though, it is all about the musical canvas being the dirt for the flowers, so to speak – fertile soil for the tune itself to grow.
While living in Europe between the summer of 2012 and November of 2019, James & Black laid the foundation, for what they call their "fanmily", in Belgium, Holland, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Bulgaria, the UK and Slovakia, as well as tours in China and Tunisia, playing close to 150 shows per year and covering over 1,000,000km in the process.
James & Black had been on the road for nine years consistently from the summer of 2011 until this beginning of 2020, the start of the pandemic. They have played over a thousand shows in fifteen countries from Austin TX, Shanghai, Paris, and all points in between.
Home-base for the duo has been Boulder, Colorado, for the last few years but they have now set up shop in Valencia, Spain. James & Black recruited longtime friend and one-man rocksteady wrecking crew, Josie "Dreadskin" Hoger, to play guitar on "Love Flows Like a River" adding the icing to this tropical gem. This is the perfect feel-good singalong to jump start your summer.
Press / Reviews
“"Guerrilla Soul is the recipe that Bruce James and Bella Black have mixed together in their Texan Sound Kitchen: A deep-fried, inside still pink, filet of New Orleans Soul à la Dr. John, soaked in a marinade of clubby R&B and organ heavy ZZ Top cover versions; with a pinch of hip-hop ” ”
— Zeit.de Hamburg DE
“The duo James & Black was born in Texas in 2011 after Bella Black took the plunge and asked musician and producer Bruce James to help her record her first serious musical steps. Both enjoyed the collaboration so much that after a short time they decided to take the leap in the dark and move to Europe. Between 2012 and 2019 they roamed the old continent, leaving traces of their positive messages along the way, wrapped in inimitable soul and groove. With titles like “Everyday (Walking in Sunshine)” and “For No Reason” they built up a loyal fan base in France, Spain, Italy and Belgium. A family visit at the end of 2019 abruptly ended this adventure, the global pandemic made it impossible for them to start the retreat. Then make a virtue of necessity and try to build an 'ordinary' life? Fortunately, the blood is thicker than water, and after just over three years this energetic duo is back with a first single. “Gold” is traditionally James & Black and yet not: no energetic soul, but a laidback rhythm with an irresistible groove and an important message: “Unity is the way to be free, Can't nobody take your power unless you give it away, I believe that together we can do great things”. Amen and let the triumphant return begin now!” - Kathy Van Peteghem
— enola.be
Press photos
