On June 2nd, Amy Black returns with her latest full-length, Memphis. Recorded in Memphis and produced by Scott Bomar of The Bo-Keys, the album features members of the Hi Rhythm Section, Bo-Keys, and St. Paul & the Broken Bones, as well as players in the Memphis session musician community, on ten tracks consisting of three covers and seven originals including “Without You.”
Written by Black, “Without You” is a passionate, achingly honest ballad that blends Gospel, Soul, and Blues in a song about realizing – perhaps too late – that you need that one person in your life who completes you. Black’s dynamically soulful voice conveys a genuine regret and sorrow, as well as a deep love and underlying sense of hope that maybe, eventually, things could be different.
“I spend my days sifting through memories/ I spend my nights dreaming of you/All my friends say I should be moving on/They mean when, but only I know the truth”
Amy had this to say about the song, which you can hear in its entirety below:
“This is one of the first songs I penned for the Memphis project. I wrote it at my kitchen table in Nashville (a favorite spot). It’s about needing someone more than you thought you could and missing them like crazy when they are gone. As for the feel, I love gospel and classic country. I grew up singing in church and over the past few years have been listening to a lot of Mavis Staples. I’m naturally pulled toward a gospel-like, soulful approach to melody and feel. I’ve also sung my share of Loretta Lynn songs. I see this one as a hybrid of gospel, soul, country and blues. When I recorded in Memphis, Al Gamble from St. Paul and The Broken Bones was on organ and then doubled up on piano, which gave it that classic country vibe on top of the soulfulness. My dream? To hear Ms. Mavis sing it on her new album, of course!”
