Acclaimed keyboardist, composer and bandleader Lao Tizer shares “Down” the first song and video released from The Lao Tizer Band’s upcoming album Amplify. The album which sees Tizer continuing to knock down boundaries and expand musical horizons is due out August 23.
Joining Tizer on the album is American Idol sensation, RIAA Platinum Certified singer Elliott Yamin who provides lead vocals on Amplify’s 5 original vocal tracks including today’s single, the R&B tinged “Down.”
“Elliott has been an unbelievable fit for this project and the band,” Tizer enthuses. “He’s very much a throwback to a blue-eyed soul kind of vocalist. This project was a little different from his usual wheelhouse, but he’s such a naturally gifted singer that he ran with it, adding his amazingly soulful thing to our harmonic, rhythmic and compositional sensibilities. He sings his butt off.”
The crossover sound that Tizer and his band explored on their previous album, 2018’s Songs From The Swinghouse, are further realized on Amplify with Yamin joining Tizer’s A-list ensemble who apply their magic to an exciting mix of smartly-grooved instrumentals and original vocal songs.
But as much as the Yamin’s vocal tracks are poised to knock listeners out, their proximity to the Tizer-penned instrumentals on Amplify can’t help but highlight the keyboardist’s uncanny ability to bring an equal measure of infectiousness, excitement, and accessibility to the instrumentals on the project.
“With this record, I definitely made a conscious effort to crossover to win over more general music fans,” says Tizer. “If you have music that is melodic and grooves, you can win over a broad array of listeners.”
Without sacrificing his trademark musical sophistication, Tizer pulls this off with an almost Steely Dan-like savvy, seamlessly incorporating a host of other modern influences–from jazz to R&B to world beat to jam band–into the music on Amplify.
Are you vibing with Lao Tizer’s latest offering “Down”?
