Ariel Posen’s music occupies the space between genres. It’s a rootsy sound that nods to his influences — heartland rock & roll, electrified Americana, blue-eyed soul, R&B, Beatles-inspired pop — while still moving forward, pushing Posen into territory that’s uniquely his own. He turns a new corner with Headway, a solo album that finds the songwriter taking stock of his personal and musical progress.
Posen began recording Headway in December 2019, one week after wrapping up an international tour in support of his acclaimed debut, How Long. He’d been on the road for a year and a half, playing shows across the U.K., Europe, America, and his native Canada. Along the way, Posen had received standing ovations not only from his audiences, but also from outlets like Rolling Stone, who dubbed him “a modern-day guitar hero,” Music Radar listing him as a fan voted top 10 rock guitarist of the year and the Western Canadian Music Awards who nominated him for Breakout Artist of the Year.”
Coming back home to Winnipeg, he began sifting through the new songs he’d written between tour dates. Many of them had already been tested on the road, their arrangements whittled into shape by a group of road warriors at the top of their game. Practically all of them were about the process of evolution — of making progress in life, love, and all points in between. Those themes were reflected in the music itself, which presented a crisper, clearer picture of Posen as a songwriter. If How Long had been his introduction to the roots-music world, then Headway was something different: a sharply-defined snapshot of a musician who has truly crystallized his sound.
First single “What Are We Doing Here” climbed up the CBC Music Chart into the top 10 and like the album title suggests, Headway is all about growth. Already celebrated as a frontman, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, Ariel Posen hits a new high-water mark with his second album — an album that prioritizes songwriting above all else, showcasing the progress of a lifelong musician who’s still in the middle of an upward trajectory.
Following the release of his stunning new LP, Headway, last week; today acclaimed songwriter and guitarist – ARIEL POSEN -is announcing his ‘World Tour’.
An online concert broadcast live on 25 March, it will see Ariel performing at Winnipeg’s West End Cultural Centre.
Tickets are available here and there are a limited number of VIP “Backstage Access Tickets”. In addition to the concert, ticket holders will be given a promo code that entitles them to 10% off Ariel’s online store and access to special edition merch.
In addition, Ariel also shares the lyric video for album track “It’s You”, a song that “focuses on the type of person that refuses to see all the bad signs of a partner,” says Ariel. “Despite how badly you can be treated by someone, sometimes we refuse to see ourselves being with anyone else.”.