I first met Seth Walker at Nashville’s 3rd & Lindsley Club, as we were both watching the Hacienda Brothers play a hot set during the Americana Music Conference.

Between songs, he turned around and introduced himself, and I was thrilled to meet him as I had just started playing a tune on the radio called “Steady” from his fourth, self-titled album which had just been released.

We hung out for a while, listened to the great show, and chatted about music. He grew up in North Carolina, taking his inspiration from blues artists such as Ray Charles, B.B. King, T-Bone Walker, and many others. I was impressed by his sincerity and dedication to the heart and soul of the music. Blues maestro Taj Mahal was impressed too, calling Walker “a little, white Ray Charles.”

His album did well, and charted on the Americana chart, cracking the Top 40 and staying there for a significant length of time. Now Seth has released his fifth album, titled “Leap of Faith,” and if anything, Walker’s sincerity and dedication has increased exponentially.

Produced by Gary Nicholson, a multiple number-one hit songwriter, two-time Grammy winning producer, and world-traveling performer, “Leap of Faith” goes beyond anything Walker has done in the past to showcase his multiple talents.

Delbert McClinton makes an appearance on the record, as does blues guitarist Colin Linden and a multitude of other amazing musicians. Nicholson contributes songwriting on nearly all the songs, most of which are Walker originals, but he digs deep into the R&B catalog to bring up a Percy Mayfield classic and a Nick Lowe gem in addition to the Nicholson classic which serves as the title cut, previously recorded by Delbert McClinton, among others.
Walker’s vocal delivery is intense and powerful, teeming with emotion and vitality. The music is tinged with blues, country and rhythm-and-blues, and if you take a ‘leap of faith’ and buy it, it’s sure to become one of the favorites in your music collection.

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