6 March, 2017Print
Frankie Ballard To Return To Europe This Spring In Support Of Album El Rio
“The album’s stripped-down country rock that’s heavy on vocals and guitar licks.” - People Magazine Picks
“Frankie Ballard's third album packs plenty of country-rock punch, with lyrics that reference Guns N' Roses and songs that evoke the rootsy sweep of the American heartland...“It's a different kind of album...filled with country-rock anthems that have more in common with the heartland heroes of Ballard's youth. “- Rolling Stone’s 25 Best Country and Americana albums of 2016
“...a bold, in-your-face tone made by just a handful of musicians.”- Billboard
Singer/songwriter Frankie Ballard will head back to the UK and Europe this spring kicking off a tour in Belfast, UK with stops in Dublin, London and the Netherlands and wrapping in Germany (tour dates below). This is Ballard’s third trip to the UK/Europe in support of his recent album, El Rio, and last year he sold out his Amsterdam and London shows.
Ballard’s latest album El Rio (Warner Bros. Records/Warner Music Nashville) was released on June 10th to critical acclaim including performances on both The Today Show and Live with Kelly. The album was selected by Rolling Stone as one of the 25 Best Country and Americana albums of 2016 and People Magazine and Entertainment Weekly also selected it as a “must” listen.
Recorded at the famed Sonic Ranch, just south of El Paso in Tornillo, Texas, Ballard, band, and producer Marshall Altman left the comfort of Nashville in exchange for the opportunity to immerse themselves 24/7 creating this unique and fresh album.
Rolling Stone describes the album best, “It's a different kind of album for the Michigan-born, Nashville-based songwriter, filled with country-rock anthems that have more in common with the heartland heroes of Ballard's youth — especially Bob Seger and John Mellencamp — than the outlaws and highwaymen whose names are so often cited by country music's younger class.”
Ballard explains in the same article, "It's just my own brand of American music. There's rock & roll. There's country stories and country lyrics and country songs. And there's a lot of blues swagger and blues guitar playing. It's all those things together."
Frankie’s new take on the classic Bob Seger song and album’s new single, “You’ll Accomp’ny Me,” has been met with raves. Music Row declares, “His churning guitar work and earnest vocal give this golden goodie new luster” and Taste of Country has adds this version, " brings the same blue collar grit that those who know it rely on; however, it stands alone as a unique recording."
An esteemed guitar player as well, Ballard was recently selected by The Boot as one of the best guitar players, "everything about Ballard defies the norms of the format, including his exceptional guitar playing, which gives his songs a different vibe than those of any other artist currently in the genre."
Frankie Ballard’s previous album, Sunshine & Whiskey, produced three consecutive no. 1 singles – the platinum-certified “Sunshine & Whiskey,” the gold-certified “Helluva Life,” and one of the Top 3 Billboard Country Airplay songs of 2015, “Young & Crazy.” Ballard has combined album sales and single/album streaming of over 450,000 to date with over 150 million total streams across all streaming platforms and 90 million streams at Spotify. Ballard continues his electrifying set on the road in 2017 touring across the world.
Frankie Ballard UK/Europe Tour Dates:
Frankie Ballard UK/Europe Tour Dates:
April 22-Mandela Hall- Belfast UK
April 23- Whelan's- Dublin, Ireland
April 24- Fleece- Bristol, UK
April 25- O2 Academy2-Oxford, UK
April 28- Islington Assembly Hall- London, UK
April 29-Gorilla-Manchester, UK
April 30-O2 Institute2 - Birmingham, UK
May 1-Brudenell Social Club-Leeds, UK
May 3- MTC- Cologne Germany
May 4- Rotown-Rotterdam, Netherlands
May 5-Cafe Wilhemina-Eindhoven, Netherlands
May 6-Bitterzoet-Amsterdam, Netherlands
May 7-Clues Garage-Isernhagen, Germany
May 8- Prinzenbar-Hamburg, Germany
May 9- Quasimodo-Berlin.. Germany
May 10-Backstage Club-Munchen, Germany
Learn more about Frankie Ballard and hear El Rio now here: http://shorefire.com/client/frankie-ballard
Learn more about the making of El Rio here in this personal video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFIL1UUUAzg
Frankie Ballard http://www.frankieballard.com/