Produced by Lettuce and recorded at Colorado Sound Studio outside of Denver with legendary engineer Russ Elevado (D’Angelo, The Roots, Erykah Badu), Elevate, the band’s sixth studio album and first new, original music in three years, is a dynamic showcase of their ever-changing and all-inclusive musical palette. The six-member collective – Grammy-nominated drummer and percussionist Adam Deitch, guitarist Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff, bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes, Grammy Award-winning keyboardist and vocalist Nigel Hall, Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Ryan Zoidis and Grammy Award-winning trumpet player Eric “Benny” Bloom – maintains its eclectic, free-wheeling approach while embracing a progressive and futuristic vibe, with elements of Pink Floyd, the Grateful Dead, Eno and Miles Davis, thanks to their love of improvisational music and arts. Lettuce explores its funk roots in the Tower of Power-like punch of “Ready to Live” (a cover of a song by Cold Blood’s Lydia Pense), the Prince-like swagger of “Royal Highness” and the OG blues-soul of “Love Is Too Strong,” which sees avocal cameo from Marcus King. Expanded trip-hop sounds create a space age audio-scape on tracks like “Trapezoid,” “Gang 10” and “Purple Cabbage.” Other album highlights include first single, “Krewe,” a western-meets-’60s Ethiopian funk song, and Smirnoff’s nod to Carlos Santana and Trey Anastasio on the Latin-flavored and playfully named “Shmink Dabby.” Full track listing is below.
The road warriors, who will bring their blissful rhythms and sonic grooves to an extensive U.S. tour throughout the year, will officially celebrate the release of Elevate at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Saturday, June 15th with their 4th annual Rage Rocks show featuring two full sets from Lettuce, one of which will be a Jerry Garcia Band cover set, along with support from TAUK and The Soul Rebels.
Leading up to the release of Elevate, Lettuce has been rolling out a six-part behind-the-scenes series called “The Krewe – A Lettuce Documentary Series,” filmed during the album’s recording process. Click each band member name to watch their interviews and stay tuned to the band’s official YouTube page for the remaining episodes: Erick “Jesus” Coomes, Adam Deitch, Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff, Nigel Hall.
A powerhouse collective made up of world-class master musicians, Lettuce are known for their incendiary live shows, extensive touring, die-hard fans, and massive two-decade-plus career. They are also some of the most highly sought-after musicians in the industry with roots that run deep into the worlds of hip-hop, pop, and beyond working and performing alongside the likes of Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder, Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson, Justin Timberlake, The Fugees, Eminem, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Britney Spears, DJ Quik, Gary Clark Jr., Skrillex, The Game, Talib Kweli, Anthony Hamilton, Solange, Chaka Khan, Redman & Method Man, Robin Thicke, Preservation Hall, Dave Matthews Band, Gov’t Mule, Bob Weir, John Mayer, Aaron Neville, and more.
It’s been more than 25 years since the formation of Lettuce, a democratic ensemble in which there is no leader, but a complete unit that functions as a single entity with plenty of moving parts. The magic continues to grow with the band’s new album, Elevate.
1. Trapezoid
2. Royal Highness
3. Krewe
4. Shmink Dabby
5. Everybody Wants to Rule The World
6. Gang Ten
7. Ready To Live
8. Larimar
9. Love Is Too Strong
10. Purple Cabbage
11. Trapezoid Dub