Grammy Award-winning vocalist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Judith Hill reclaims her strength on a deeply emotive new album, ‘Letters From A Black Widow’, which is out today via Regime Music Group.
An accompanying video for one of its key songs, ‘Black Widow’, has also been issued as a theatrical recreation of the jaw-dropping track.
‘Black Widow’ finds Hill confronting the malign label that haunted her for years, coined by tabloids and keyboard warriors because she had collaborated with two of pop music’s biggest ever stars – Michael Jackson and Prince – shortly before their deaths. She struggled in the wake of undeserved hatred for years before recently finding the emotional capacity to confront, reflect and write about her experience.
“For years the Black Widow was such a dark presence in my life that it was too looming and intimidating to even talk about,” explains Hill. However, a break from touring in 2020 provided her with the time and space for a momentous reckoning. “Being forced to stop allowed me to reach a deeper place, to really marinate and figure out what’s at my core, what I really needed to talk about. I found I had the courage and strength to face all this – to be authentic, to dive into the whole experience and turn an ocean of darkness into expressive fire.”
A New York Times interview published on 20th April which sees Hill discussing the ‘Black Widow’ tag in depth can be read HERE
The song’s parent album is a formidable battle cry that dives into Hill’s stories of discovery, resistance and redemption, bonded together with the soul, funk and blues foundations that have become her signature sound. Hill provides much of the instrumentation herself, including self-taught electric guitar, but it is not a totally solo endeavour, as her band includes her parents (renowned bassist Robert ‘Peewee’ Hill and keyboardist Michiko Hill), while she is also joined by John Staten (drums and percussion), Daniel Chae (strings) and a group of friends on backing vocals.
The album includes the singles ‘Runaway Train’, ‘Flame’ and ‘Dame de la Lumière’, and is the follow-up to ‘Baby, I’m Hollywood!’ (2021), which garnered widespread critical acclaim and was described by Record Collector as ‘breathtakingly kaleidoscopic’, while Echoes proclaimed it ‘Album of the Year’.
LETTERS FROM A BLACK WIDOW
TRACKLISTING
1 One Of The Bad Ones
2 Flame
3 My Whole Life Is In The Wrong Key
4 We Are The Power
5 Black Widow
6 Touch
7 Dame De La Lumiere
8 Let Me Be Your Mother
9 You Got It Kid
10 Runaway Train
11 Downtown Boogie
12 More Than Love
Hill and her band are touring extensively in support of ‘Letters From A Black Widow’, with current North American dates followed by a month of shows in Europe that conclude in London on 8th June:
07.05.24 STAVANGER (NO) Maijazz Festival
08.05.24 TRONDHEIM (NO) Trondheim Jazz Festival
09.05.24 HAMAR (NO) Hamar Jazz Festival
10.05.24 SANDVIKA (NO) Baerum Kulturhus
11.05.24 STOCKHOLM (SE) Fasching
15.05.24 ÖREBRO (SE) Makieriet
17.05.24 COPENHAGEN (DK) DR Concert Hall
19.05.24 SCHÖPPINGEN (DE) Blues Festival Schöppingen
21.05.24 ZÜRICH (CH) Kaufleuten
22.05.24 INNSBRUCK (AT) Treibhaus
23.05.24 RUBIGEN (CH) Mühle Hunziken
24.05.24 TÜBINGEN (DE) Sudhaus
26.05.24 WEERT (NL) Poppodium Q-Factory
29.05.24 SINT-NIKLAAS (BE) De Casino Concertzaal
30.05.24 PARIS (FR) New Morning
01.06.24 WEIZ (AT) Jazz Festival Weiz
04.06.24 ALMERIA (ES) Clasijazz
06.06.24 ANTALYA (TR) Akra Jazz Festival
07.06.24 HAMBURG (DE) Elbjazz Festival
08.06.24 LONDON (UK) Bush Hall
tickets
