“This band is therapy for me to bring myself back to being a
better person, and I hope people come along with me,” says powerhouse singer Clinton
Clegg of The Commonheart. The testimonial begins on August 16th when the
9-piece band issues its most potent and purposeful dose of grittily redemptive
rock n’ soul, its sophomore album, Pressure
(Jullian Records).
Clinton didn’t grow up in a Baptist church, and his soul
machine of a band isn’t pushing religion. Live and in the studio, the Pittsburgh-based
collective is offering feel-good positivity, Golden Rule messaging, and
sweat-soaked performances that nimbly ease through blues, vintage soul, and rock.
The nonet is bonded by familial-like ties and a desire to
foster spiritual uplift. Among its ranks are female backup singers, drums,
bass, guitar, a horn section, and keyboards. Out front is Clinton, a lightning
bolt charismatic front man with dynamically expressive pipes that effortlessly traverse
bluesy pleading, and honeyed balladeering. Onstage and in the studio, Clinton
evokes B.B. King, Al Green, Otis Redding, and Sam Cooke.
The Commonheart is known to have transformative powers. Case
in point is the band’s own singer. During one gig, while singing “Do Right”
from Pressure, Clinton experienced a
revelation.
“Seeing the audience’s reaction to the positivity in that
song made me feel like I was giving them something they may need.” He pauses thoughtfully,
and then continues: “You know blues music is sad as hell, but it makes you feel
good. I thought maybe my bad stories could make people feel good, and I could
bring a little bit of love to the show.”
Previously, Clinton was in an eclectic indie band searching
for some semblance of artistic focus. He had grown up loving B.B. King and soul
music, and recognized the strength of his raspy emotive voice. After some soul
searching, he and that band’s drummer decided to do a back-to-basics band
centered around Clinton’s singing and a vintage R&B-informed aesthetic. At
first the band’s name was a casual variant of The Commonwealth, as in “The
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” but the moniker later accrued significance as
the band began to explore the pent-emotionality inherent in its gospel-tinged
tunes.
The Commonheart’s latest album, Pressure, is both rugged and refined. The 10-song album showcases
raw-nerve soul musicianship pristinely recorded. The opening track boasts soulful
sandpaper-y lead vocals, swoops of cosmic slide guitar, a driving Sly Stone
groove, and rousing female backup vocals. It’s an up-against-a-wall tune about
making a living while raising a family, and it speaks to the album’s title. The
bluesy ballad title track, replete with pleading emotive vocals, drips yearning
and melancholy redemption. “That’s about the daily grind—what it takes to
maintain important relationships while you’re away from home, driving thousands
of miles in van to pursue a dream,” Clinton confesses.
A spirit of a new-day optimism courses through the aptly
titled “Different Man.” The song soars with stirring group backup vocals punctuated
by Clinton’s vulnerable confessions. It’s a rousing and uplifting slice of
R&B brimming with warm organs, clipped soul-guitar chanks, and triumphant
horn melodies. “That song is about begging for a second chance, and building
something beautiful after a sordid past,” Clinton reveals.
Pressure is an album by a band on a mission. “We are
willing to take risks and to go at any lengths for this band,” Clinton says affirmatively. “We are ready to
spread positivity and make a stretch of this thing.”