Now on his tenth album – aptly titled Ten – Albert Cummings' highly charged live shows (opens in new tab) have seen the blues guitar master picking up legions of new fans up and down the country.
Right now, he’s out on the road with a succession of dates lined up ranging from Canada to Texas and will be lighting up Knoxville and Nashville in Tennessee this week.
“I rarely use a set list. I just let the music take me where it’s going to go,” he told Guitar Player. “My style of music is completely off the cuff.”
Released last month via Ivy Music, Ten (opens in new tab)was recorded in Peter Frampton’s Phenix Studios in Nashville with legendary engineer/producer Chuck Ainlay (Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler, Taylor Swift, Dolly Parton.)
Right out of the gate, Ten proved something of a hit, reigning at number one on the iTunes Blues Chart while debuting at number two on the Billboard Blues Albums chart.
Testament to its broad appeal, Ten also managed to reach the top 20 on the Americana/Folk Album Chart, while gaining entry into the Top New Artist, Record Label Independent Current Albums, and Current Digital Albums charts.
Following up the release of the album’s first single – “Need Somebody” – Cummings has dropped another standout track, “Meet the Man.”
Accompanying the new single is an intimate video featuring Cummings, trusty Stratocaster in hand, performing the song alone from beginning to end.
Framed as a farewell from someone facing their own mortality, Cummings says, “It is a song that has deep personal meaning to me, but I think it’s universal and an inspirational song too, and I hope people take it that way.”
Order Ten by Albert Cummings here (opens in new tab).
Rod Brakes is a music writer with an expertise in all things guitar-related. Having spent many years at the coalface as a guitar dealer and tech, Rod's more recent work as a journalist covering artists, industry pros and gear includes writing hundreds of articles and features for the likes of Guitarist, Total Guitar, Guitar World, Guitar Player and MusicRadar, as well as contributions for specialist books, blogs and social media. He is also a lifelong musician.
