Almost four years ago, in a late-night, sweaty, packed Dakota Tavern we saw JJ Shiplett play a 2016 Canadian Music Week set on the recommendation of people whose taste we trust. They were right, JJ crushed it. We've been excited for each chance to see him live and every new release since then. And now here we are in 2020 with a new single, Waiting On The Rain out to the world, and a new EP, Fingers Crossed, coming on March 20.
Since the release of Shiplett's 2017 album, Something To Believe In, things have been mostly quiet. JJ's been writing and working and preparing and figuring out what comes next. That isn't always easy. Especially for an artist who performs and connects on the kind of level that we've come to know from Shiplett. So when we read his words about Waiting On The Rain, and we got a little more information about the upcoming EP release, things started to make a lot of sense.
Related: Something To Believe In, JJ Shiplett Album ReviewWhen talking about the lead single, JJ said, "When I wrote 'Waiting On The Rain', I never expected it to be released as a single; it's incredibly personal. But in a world where we're constantly bombarded with the polished social media version of life, I felt like it was a good time for me to be honest about who I am and who I'm working on becoming. It's a song that comes straight from my heart, and I'm hopeful it can find its way to someone else's."
JJ Shiplett is one of my favourite storytellers in music right now. The combination of his the uniqueness of his voice and the depth of feeling that I get from it when I hear him sing live, or on a single is special.
Hit play to listen to Waiting On The Rain now.
If the rest of Fingers Crossed is as impactful as Waiting On The Rain feels, we'll all be in for a treat.
The elephant in the room though is the length of time since the release of his last album. It's been three full years since Something To Believe In was released, and in the music world that can feel like closer to ten. One of the reasons (we've learned) that it's taken longer to put Fingers Crossed together, is JJ's more complete involvement in the project.
This time around he has had his fingers in every piece of the pie. Not only is he singing every song, JJ is also in on all of the detail work. He poured over the arrangements and played many instruments himself. He also got more involved in the production side, getting into the recording and also the engineering and production aspects of Fingers Crossed. That's a lot of work, a lot of personal connection, and it tells us that JJ Shiplett is truly invested in something special on this EP.
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In a press release announcing the EP, Shiplett says, "Fingers Crossed is a collection of music that comes from deep within. I spent so much time working through these songs to make damn sure they properly represent who I am as a singer, songwriter and producer, but most importantly as a human who desires to connect and impact others with honesty and sincerity. I made this record as an offering to everyone, and fingers crossed they are able to find their own truth in it."
As people, connection and belonging and understanding are crucial. And when we can get those things in music, we're fortunate.
If you are a JJ Shiplett fan, you're likely as excited as we are for the release of this new music. And if you just listened to Waiting On The Rain and you want more - Click Here to pre-order/save Fingers Crossed for its March 20, 2020 release.
JJ Shiplett, Fingers Crossed Tracklist
1. Waiting On The Rain
2. Closer
3. Northern Lights
4. Stand On
5. Freeman
6. All Comes Back To You
7. Every Road
