CeeLo, Dan Auerbach Team Up for Soulful New Album

In its germinating stages, CeeLo Green’s forthcoming album wasn’t originally planned as an album. Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys – clearly on an ongoing campaign to wrestle the title of All-Purpose Cross-Genre Can-Do-No-Wrong Impresario of Nashville away from Jack White or Dave Cobb, depending on which one’s wearing the crown at the present moment – invited CeeLo to Music City for some low-key writing sessions, with no plan or intention for where they’d end up, if anywhere. But then… well, you know how it goes. The magic happened.

“I didn’t walk into the studio as the artist CeeLo Green going to record songs for a new album; I went in solely as myself, the writer Thomas Callaway. CeeLo Green performs the songs that Thomas Callaway writes,” the singer explains.

“I’m a shaman for that old soul and it came through on this album,” he continues, referring to CeeLo Green is…Thomas Callaway, currently slated for release in June (no specific date yet). Recorded with a live band of top-shelf Nashville players, it’s described as Southern and soulful with gospel undertones, influenced by the likes of Bill Withers, Donny Hathaway and the Staple Singers. You can get an early taste of the results with the uplifting “Lead Me,” out today.

“We spent weeks writing and singing songs and we never once talked about trying to write a hit,” notes Auerbach. “It was so liberating. I think it freed us to where we could follow our hearts. So, we ended up singing about the things that mattered most in our lives – our kids and our loved ones and what we hope for them. We always came back to love and forgiveness and the passing of time. I feel like together we captured some very special moments on tape. For me, this record is about love, healing and peace of mind.”

Closer to home, CeeLo has partnered with Lyft to provide transportation to those working critical jobs in Atlanta during this coronavirus clampdown – we’re talking hospital workers, first responders, etc. If you or someone you know has a critical need for transportation tomorrow (April 11) through April 14, you can DM CeeLo via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or his other social media outlets, and he’ll respond to as many as possible with a discounted ride code up to $10.