Neal Francis shares his "Problems"; new album out this Friday

NEAL FRANCIS SHARES HIS “PROBLEMS” - LISTEN   ACCLAIMED CHICAGO SINGER-SONGWRITER-PIANIST RELEASES LATEST SINGLE NEW ALBUM OUT THIS FRIDAY   NORTH AMERICAN TOUR NOW UNDERWAY, INCLUDING HEADLINE SHOWS, DATES WITH MY MORNING JACKET, AND FESTIVAL APPEARANCES ACROSS THE COUNTRY   IN PLAIN SIGHT DUE VIA ATO RECORDS THIS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5

Photo Credit: Liina Raud

“Music that should make Dr. John and Allen Toussaint smile from the great beyond – impossibly catchy, church-organ injected, buttoned-up funk.”  – RELIX   “What do Dr. John, Leon Russell, and boogie-woogie piano have in common? Neal Francis is the answer.” – KCRW   Chicago-based singer-songwriter-pianist Neal Francis has shared his “Problems,” the latest single from his eagerly anticipated new album. “Problems” heralds Francis’s upcoming second LP, In Plain Sight, mixed by GRAMMY® Award winner Dave Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, Tame Impala, MGMT) and due via ATO Records on vinyl, CD, and digital formats this Friday, November 5. Pre-orders are available now. In addition, a brand-new range of limited edition In Plain Sight merch – including signed cherry red vinyl, signed CDs, signed posters, t-shirts, button bundles, and more – are available for pre-order via Francis’s official webstore.   The bright and breezy “Problems” sees Francis mining inspiration from classic funk and glistening soft rock, its radiant synths and rapturous harmonies in stark contrast with the songwriter’s exacting introspection.   “It’s about being half-in and half-out of a relationship, and how untenable that is,” Francis says. “I wrote it at a time when I really couldn’t maintain a relationship because I had too many issues with myself that needed to be addressed.”   LISTEN TO “PROBLEMS”   PRE-ORDER/PRE-SAVE IN PLAIN SIGHT   In Plain Sight also includes the recently released singles, “Prometheus,” “Alameda Apartments,” and “Can’t Stop The Rain,” all available now at all DSPs and streaming services. “Prometheus” is joined by an official visualizer, while “Alameda Apartments” arrived last month alongside an official companion video – filmed on VHS in the church where Francis lived, wrote, and recorded In Plain Sight – streaming now via YouTube; a stirring live performance of the track – filmed at SHIRK Studios in Chicago, IL with backing from Francis’s crack touring band – is also streaming now via YouTube.   WATCH “PROMETHEUS (OFFICIAL VISUALIZER)” WATCH “ALAMEDA APARTMENTS (OFFICIAL VHS VIDEO)” WATCH “ALAMEDA APARTMENTS [LIVE]”   In Plain Sight was first heralded this summer with the lead single, “Can’t Stop The Rain,” featuring GRAMMY® Award-winning guitarist Derek Trucks and hailed in its world premiere on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic as “an invigorating heatwave banger… hits with an unapologetically joyful, electric feel that makes for just the jolt to the system we needed.” The track – which quickly ascended to #1 Most Added at Triple-A and Non-Commercial Radio outlets nationwide – is joined by an official music video, streaming now at YouTube; an electrifying live version, filmed at Chicago’s SHIRK Studios and showcasing Francis and his band’s infectious on-stage energy, can be viewed now as well.   WATCH “CAN’T STOP THE RAIN (OFFICIAL VIDEO)” WATCH “CAN’T STOP THE RAIN (OFFICIAL LIVE SESSION)”   After returning home from touring on the back of his widely lauded 2019 debut album, Changes, Neal Francis went through a painful breakup and found himself living in a possibly haunted church where he ended up writing a series of inspired new songs exploring honesty and resilience. Working once again with producer Sergio Rios (a guitarist/engineer known for his work with CeeLo Green and Alicia Keys), Francis and his bandmates recorded In Plain Sight entirely on tape – mostly in that same church – and the resulting songs are dreamlike and reflective, anchored in the analog rock and soul sound that has seen him hailed by PopMatters for “3embodying the spirit of classic New Orleans artists such as Dr. John, The Meters, Allen Toussaint as well as the deep and mysterious roots music of Leon Russell.”   “I’m owning up to all my problems within my relationships and my sobriety,” Francis says. “So much of it is about coming to the understanding that I continue to suffer because of those problems. It’s about acknowledging that and putting it out in the open in order to mitigate the suffering and try to work on it, instead of trying to hide everything.”   Francis is currently celebrating In Plain Sight with a truly epic North American tour and just performed at Atlanta, GA’s Shaky Knees, Live Oak, FL’s Suwannee Hulaween, and San Francisco, CA’s Outside Lands. The tour is also highlighted by headline dates (including an exclusive Album Release Party, set for November 5 at Rosa’s Lounge in Chicago), shows supporting My Morning Jacket, and more festival appearances including Wilco’s sold-out Sky Blue Sky, a curated concert vacation set for January 17-21, 2022 at Mexico’s Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya. From there, Francis will cross the Atlantic for a much anticipated European/UK tour, making stops in London, the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Belgium in early 2022. Additional dates will be announced. For complete details and ticket availability, please visit www.nealfrancis.com/tour.   NEAL FRANCIS ON TOUR 2021-2022   NOVEMBER 2021 4 – Detroit, MI – El Club 5 – Chicago, IL – Rosa’s Lounge * 6 – Urbana, IL – Canopy Club 11 – Cincinnati, OH – Ballroom at Taft Theatre 12 – Peoria, IL – Kenny’s Westside Pub 13 – Milwaukee, WI – The Back Room at Colectivo Coffee 18 – St. Louis, MO – Old Rock House 19 – Louisville, KY – Headliners Music Hall 20 – Indianapolis, IN – Hi-Fi   DECEMBER 2021 3 – Lawrence, KS - The Bottleneck 4 – Columbia, MO – Rose Music Hall 5 – Oklahoma City, OK - Ponyboy 8 – Austin, TX – Antone’s Nightclub 9 – Austin, TX – Antone’s Nightclub 10 – Houston, TX – The Heights Theater 11 – Tyler, TX – Stanley’s Famous Pit Barbecue 12 – Dallas TX – The Kessler Theater 29 – Denver, CO – The Mission Ballroom ** 31 – Denver, CO – Globe Hall   JANUARY 2022 5 – Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom 8 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge 9 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile 12 – Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry 13 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon 14 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall 17-21 – Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky – Puerto Aventuras, MX † (SOLD OUT) 22 – Glasgow, UK – Celtic Connections 23 – London, UK – O2 Academy2 Islington 25 – Nijmegen, NL – Merleyn 26 – Groningen, NL – Vera 27 – Amsterdam, NL – Bitterzoet 28 – Hengelo, NL – Metropool 29 – Utrecht, NL – TivoliVredenburg 30 – Rotterdam, NL – Bird 31 – Haldern, DE – Haldern Pop Bar   FEBRUARY 2022 1 – Berlin, DE – Privatclub 2 – Hamburg, DE – Häkken 4 – Paris, FR – New Morning 5 – Beauvais, FR – L’Ouvre Boite 6 – Leffinge, BE – De Zwerver 16 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg 17 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall 18 – Philadelphia, PA – World Café Live 19 – Washington, DC – Union Stage 20 – Pittsburgh, PA – Club Café 22 – Richmond, VA – Canal Club 23 – Charlotte, NC – Visulite Theatre 24 – Chattanooga, TN – Songbirds 25 – Nashville, TN – The Basement East 26 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West   JULY 2022 27 – 31 – Floyd, VA – Floyd Fest   AUGUST 2022 26-28 – Tisbury, MA – Beach Road Weekend †   * In Plain Sight Album Release Party ** w/My Morning Jacket † Festival Appearance   Additional Dates To Be Announced www.nealfrancis.com/tour   # # #