Nearly 15 years after receiving national recognition as part of Michael Bolton’s New Haven Choir and shared the stage with Patti Labelle, Nick Lachey, Blake Shelton, et al on NBC’s reality competition show, multi-faceted Connecticut based vocalist and songwriter Greg Sherrod continues on his incendiary tear of “Bluessoulrocknroll” – first coined as the title of his 2015 solo debut album - amping up his jamming, funky horn-drenched fusion of all those styles on Do You Feel It?, his first recording attributed to The Greg Sherrod Music Company.
While the tracks – from the bustling, buoyant romantic anthem “Rockstar” through the slow simmering reassurance of “I’m Pulling For You” – as a whole feel like a slightly intensified version of the vibe the singer created on that first album, it made sense to expand to the “company” branding to capture the unique collective ensemble spirit behind him. Sherrod backs his gritty, classic soul lead vocals with the rambunctious collective energies of his two separate New England based backing bands – The Black Sheep (from Connecticut) and The Get Down (from Rhode Island), a blazing horn section, and several of his vocal students on the soaring, gospel inflected title track – on which he vows emphatically, “I want to show you how good love can be.”
Sherrod and crew also cleverly revisit his 2018 single “Cake,” keeping the irrepressible harmonica but replacing the Rhodes solo on the original with rock guitar solos of different intensities on “Cake Angel Food” and the slightly higher tempo “Cake Devils Food” - same song, now produced three delightful and delectable ways.
From the whimsical, spiritual “Mercy” to the wistful reflection “Perfect Day,” love and romance definitely rules the roost thematically on the album. Showcasing an even deeper side of his artistry, Sherrod also includes a gritty and powerful, socially conscious message of self-reflection on “Gangsta,” and a slightly veiled invective against drug use (“Cold Hard Facts”).
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