TOM KEIFER with #keiferband–Savannah Keifer, Tony Higbee, Billy Mercer, Kendra Chantelle, Jarred Pope, Kory Myers— long-awaited and highly anticipated second solo album, RISE, is due out September 13 on Cleopatra Records. Pre-orders of the album are available now at TomKeifer.com/Preorder on all formats, including CD (digipak), vinyl (in your choice of red, blue, or green) and digital, which will include an instant download of the first single, “The Death Of Me.”
Video for “The Death Of Me”—written by KEIFER and his wife Savannah, and directed by Vicente Cordero–was released today. Though TOM KEIFER has faced many ups and downs all throughout his storied career, his unyielding resilience can be found well within the grooves and lyrics of the song.
“We created ‘The Death of Me’ to inspire people not to give in to or be defeated by the seemingly insurmountable lows that we all sometimes face, but rather to Rise and overcome them,” he says.
His creative renaissance is fully on display via the eleven tough ’n’ tender tracks that comprise RISE. Produced by TOM KEIFER, Savannah Keifer, and Kyle O’Connor, RISE scales renewed sonic heights.
From the tasty slide work that stamps “Touching the Divine,” the nontraditionally arranged, heavy, dark jam of “Untitled,” the breakneck thrust of “All Amped Up” to the tender coda of “You Believe in Me,” RISE signifies the ongoing evolution of the former Cinderella frontman as a person, songwriter, and bandleader. It’s the aural portrait of an artist who, to borrow a phrase, is still climbing.
“When this band came together, we all felt a bit like broken souls, each with our own unique story,” he explains.
“If you ask anyone in the band, they would all say this band came along at just the right time. Every human who walks this planet faces challenges and extreme adversity they have to overcome. As a band, we feel fortunate to be able to face those things together. There is a piece of every band member in the ‘The Death of Me’ as well as throughout the entire RISE album.”
The common thread to each song on RISE is the intuitive interplay between each member of #keiferband, a tight but loose collective that’s spent the last six-plus years on the road honing their live craft together in support of KEIFER’s critically acclaimed 2013 solo debut, THE WAY LIFE GOES. RISE is the studio-bred equivalent of a band just now realizing the full scope of its powers.
“To me, the perfect rock and roll record is perfectly fucked up,” KEIFER says with a hearty laugh. “You try to make each record interesting and different. I don’t ever want to make the same record twice, even though there’s a common thread between them. Everything doesn’t have to be perfectly in place, but there is a balance you try to strike. Sometimes there may be something about it that’s technically not ‘right,’ but there’s a vibe, an energy and an attitude to it that I always try to preserve.”
THE WAY LIFE GOES – DELUXE EDITION was released October 20, 2017 on Cleopatra Records, which is an expanded compilation of his debut album chocked full of special artwork and bonus content, including the long-awaited studio recording of The Beatles’ “With A Little Help From My Friends,” which KEIFER performs at all of his concerts, plus a powerful new take on the Cinderella classic “Nobody’s Fool,” newly recorded as a duet with Lzzy Hale of Halestorm.
Upon its initial release, THE WAY LIFE GOES garnered rave reviews. To wit:
“A collection of 14 blues howlers, Stones-y rock and, yes, big ballads, the album calls to mind Cinderella but with an even more rootsy undercurrent.”
— Rolling Stone
“…14 songs that stay true to form – killer blues-rock playing and tones, hooks galore, and strong songwriting. If you’re a fan of harder-edged rock and long to hear genuinely enjoyable new tunes, it may be just the thing; the opener, ‘Solid Ground,’ offers pure Keifer guitar and vocals with a feel reminiscent the Stones’ Exile On Main Street while the remaining tracks are, much like his life the last 15 years, an up-and-down ride.”
— Vintage Guitar
“…the record features such vital, vibrant guitar tones and parts that are immediate and honest. They also have that cool, interlocking, layered quality that made so many classic rock albums so, well, classic. Keifer flat-out knows how to play vibey guitar parts with ungodly tone, and fans of the Stones, Zeppelin, Steve Marriott, and early Aerosmith should definitely take notice. And, although you wouldn’t wish hemorrhaging vocal cords on anyone, this guy is singing better than ever to complement his great 6-string parts.”
— Guitar Player
Here’s the complete track listing for RISE:
- Touching The Divine
- The Death Of Me
- Waiting On The Demons
- Hype
- Untitled
- Rise
- All Amped Up
- Breaking Down
- Taste For The Pain
- Life Was Here
- You Believe In Me
Photo credit: Tammy Vega