John Oates, one part of the duo Hall & Oates, has teamed up with a group of rising stars in the Americana music world for his new solo album “Arkansas” which sees its worldwide release date set for February 2nd via Thirty Tigers. The Good Road Band who feature on the record have quite an impressive lineup consisting of mandolin player Sam Bush, pedal steel innovator Russ Pahl, electric guitar picker Guthrie Trapp, bass veteran Steve Mackey, cello virtuoso Nat Smith, and percussionist Josh Day.
The project evolved from a tribute to Oates’ idol, Mississippi John Hurt, during a series of Nashville recording sessions, into a retrospective collection drawing from a wide range of Oates’ musical influences. Asked about the style and sound of Arkansas, he says, “It’s Dixieland dipped in bluegrass and salted with Delta blues.” Try asking for that at your local McDonalds.
