Laughing Hearts is the new third amandla release on Coleman’s imprint Marshall Hotel Records. Much like it’s predecessor The Full Catastrophe, Laughing Hearts was created during a period of personal collapse followed by relocation and regrowth. Recorded across the country in studios in Ringoes, NJ, New York City, Joshua Tree, CA, New Hope, PA, Austin, TX and Asheville, NC, Laughing Hearts is a portrayal of journeys and landscapes and the discoveries of new truths. In many aspects, it is The Full Catastrophe, Part II. Guests on Laughing Hearts include Kirk Kirkwood and Mike Dillon. Features the awesome, rollicking adventure of Summer Road.
The debut record. Featuring amandla live standards such as Little Jimmy and the slow blues-gospel burn of I Think I Don’t Mind. Featuring Gene Ween does an incredible Marc Bolan on the Tyrannosaurus Rex cover Summer Deep. Recorded between Waterfront Studios in Hoboken, NJ – the old studio of Lenny Kravitz – and studios in and around NJ and PA. Falling Alone is richly folky with a bit of heavy rock, psychedelia and soul, Falling Alone set the template for the amandla sound. Also featuring, Sharief Hobley, Pete Fand, Fil Kronegold, and Jake Harmon.
This is the sound of a man just happy to be alive, and nothing says that more than Zorba the Greek style tale that inspired the album’s title. The psuedo-title track, “Kiss Me (The Full Catastrophe)” is a jazz-inflected jaunt that directly references Joni Mitchell’s “Help Me.” There’s glam-rock (“Respectable”), psychedelia (“Before Tomorrow”) and even a bare country ballad (“Bustop).” Then there’s “Right Mind,” a sexed-up groove that was apparently written as Coleman’s wedding proposal. Finally, not to be outdone by too much mid-tempo schmaltz, “Backdown” kicks it all out with a rave-up destined to be a set or show stopper.”
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