The Black Swan’s Jerry DeCicca prefaces most songs on Don’t Blame the Stars with a spoken word intro. “I’ve had sooo many favorite R&B singers.” he says early on the album. “Arthur Alexander, Percy Mayfield, Barbara Linn, Otis, Aretha, but for a long while now the one that’s been speakin’ me the most is Joe Tex. He’s a beautiful man and he’s here to help us. And this song’s for him.” Then “Joe Tex” bursts in with two distinctly Mr. Rogers-worthy chords, a fake out before settling into a more natural lite-70s vibe, very easy and smooth, the mode this style of folk music seems to thrive in. Other songs are dedicated to Roy Orbison and Prince. Nice! Don’t Blame the Stars is out now on Misra Records.
• The Black Swans: http://www.theblackswans.com/
• Misra: http://misrarecords.com/
