Shelly Phelps announces today’s release of the new single, “Legendary” by Shelly Phelps and The Storm. The song has a retro, roots-rock feel with Than Medlam’s reverb-soaked guitar, Joey Albin’s steady bass line, and Jeff Holmes’s tom-tom-driven drum beat. Kendrick McKinney’s B3 organ fleshes out the foundation for Phelps’s deep, soulful voice, laden with bravado. “Tear down my house, I’ll build an empire. Blow out my flame, I’ll set the world on fire.”, Phelps sings.
“It’s a moody, defiant song about resistance. It’s about thriving in spite of someone hell-bent on ruining you.”, said Phelps. “A little bit ‘boom-chicka-boom’. A little bit witchy. A little bit ‘eff around and find out.’ Recorded at Cardinal Song Studio in Oklahoma City, “Legendary” is the first single released for the band’s upcoming album, “Singing the Bones”, set to be released in 2023.
With diverse influences like rhythm and blues, retro soul, jazz, and roots rock, the Oklahoma City singer/songwriter focuses on reflecting the heart of the songs she writes rather than settling into a genre. “The whole album has a theme of ‘rising from the ashes’, reclaiming your place in the world, and setting things upright.“, explains Phelps. “It’s moody and raw and there’s a defiant swagger to the whole album, but with an air of positivity to some darker subject matter.” Phelps also includes songs of love, desire, and joy. “I would be remiss if I didn’t express the full gamut of the transformative experience.'', she said.
For Phelps, one of her greatest pleasures of writing, recording, and performing is connecting through music that expresses shared truth. “I don’t necessarily want to make people forget about their troubles. I want them to know they aren’t alone. That we are all on this planet together, in this room, in this moment together.”, said Phelps, “That everything will be alright, because we will make it so.”
The single, “Legendary” is available on Spotify, Apple Music, and everywhere you stream music.