JARROD LAWSON

Sun. Jan. 17: JARROD LAWSON -7:30pm- Tix: $45.00 ($60.80 through Ticketmaster, $52.00 at the Birchmere Box Office) US singer, songwriter and keyboardist Jarrod Lawson returns with his third studio album Just Let It, a confident and expansive new release that sees him exploring fresh musical territory while remaining rooted in his acclaimed soul, jazz and R&B sound. Now based in Nashville, Lawson has introduced the forthcoming 14-song set with two standout singles. The Nineties-inspired groove ‘Next Move’, a collaboration with Los Angeles vocalist Raquel Rodriguez, reached #1 on the US Urban Influencer R&B/Soul Top 30 and was named the #1 track of 2024 on the UK Soul Chart. This was followed by the atmospheric slow jam ‘Do Whatchu Gotta’, co-written with French chill-hop artist Rose Noir, which has received strong international airplay across cities including Washington DC, London, Amsterdam, Paris and Rome. Just Let It finds Lawson embracing new creative directions and high-profile collaborations. Party-funk highlight ‘Laugh At Yourself’ features Grammy-nominated artist Eric Roberson, while two tracks produced by New York producer CARRTOONS – the driving ‘Let Your Heart’ and the heartfelt ballad ‘I’d Do It Again’, both featuring rapper JSwiss – showcase Lawson’s evolving contemporary sound. Additional collaborations include ‘There Can Only Be One’ with US soul vocalist Allen Stone and the powerful ‘Head-On’, featuring rapper donSmith. The album opens with the irresistible Latin jazz-flavoured title track alongside the powerful ‘Smoke Me Out’, both marking the first time Lawson has recorded with a full horn section. Horn arrangements also elevate one of the album’s standout moments, the uplifting ‘If We Pretend’. Just Let It arrives six years after Lawson’s acclaimed second album Be The Change, which reached #2 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. During the intervening period, he further cemented his reputation with a widely praised reinterpretation of The Isley Brothers’ classic ‘Footsteps In The Dark’. Artist Website: https://www.jarrodlawson.com/