The bands 4th studio album was produced by Paul Weller, who also features on all the tracks (piano, guitar & vocal including lead vocal on ‘Your Balloon Is Rising’). Having been hugely impressed by Stone Foundations previous endeavours, Paul personally contacted the band to propose the idea of working together, initially on one specific track, but having enjoyed the process so much, the resulting ten compositions on ‘Street Rituals’ now all have musical input from Paul. Two songs - ‘The Limit of a Man’ & ‘Colour Of’ - are co-writes with a Jones/Sheasby/Weller credit.
Stone Foundation’s Neil Jones commented: "Paul contacted us at the start of 2016 after hearing our last record. He wanted to know if we'd like to get involved with a demo he'd been working on and we obviously grasped the opportunity with both hands. ‘The Limit of a Man’ was born out of those early exchanges and from that point onwards we never looked back". Neil Sheasby added “Paul pretty much joined the band for the recording sessions, playing guitar, piano and adding vocals to several songs as well as overseeing the production of the record.”
Elsewhere on the album there are stunning contributions from legendary soul singers William Bell, who lends his voice to ‘Strange People’, and the unmistakable tones of Bettye Lavette, providing the lead on ‘Season of Change’. The collaboration between Stone Foundation and these internationally celebrated artists cements the bands incredible reputation as one of the finest British Soul bands in existence.
With an extraordinary history of constant surprises and success against the odds, ‘Street Rituals’ feels like the culmination of years of hard work paying off for Stone Foundation as they continue to develop their unique style of soul on a much broader scale. Subtle horn & string arrangements add glorious swathes of colour and light to a new collection of songs that are unquestionably the groups strongest to date. Co-writers and founding members Neil Jones and Neil Sheasby have consciously delivered thought provoking lyrics that reflect current issues of uncertainty and division, but smartly balance that with a prevailing sense of hope and optimism within their musical delivery.
"These are dark, dark times so I was glad to hear a positive voice and vibrations in the words and a joy in the music...what a pleasure and a privilege it was to work with these fellas". “It’s their best songwriting to date, and I just hope people get to hear it because there are some great tunes and I like the message on the record. I like the social comment, because you have so little of that these days.” - Paul Weller on the band and record
TRACK LISTING
CD
1) Back In The Game (feat. Paul Weller)
2) Open Your Heart To The World
3) Love Rediscovered
4) The Limit Of A Man
5) The Colour Of...
6) Street Rituals (feat. Paul Weller)
7) Strange People (feat. William Bell)
8) Your Balloon Is Rising (feat. Paul Weller)
9) Season Of Change (feat. Bettye LaVette)
10) Simplify The Situation
CD+DVD
CD Same As Above
DVD
1) The Making Of Street Rituals
2) Back In The Game [In-studio Performance]
3) Your Balloon Is Rising [in-studio Performance]
4) Strange People [In-studio Performance]
LP
Side A
1) Back In The Game (feat. Paul Weller)
2) Open Your Heart To The World
3) Love Rediscovered
4) The Limit Of A Man
5) The Colour Of...
Side B
6) Street Rituals (feat. Paul Weller)
7) Strange People (feat. William Bell)
8) Your Balloon Is Rising (feat. Paul Weller)
9) Season Of Change (feat. Bettye LaVette)
10) Simplify The Situation
