Chicago-bred singer, songwriter and pianist Neal Francis cut his teeth sitting in with countless local bands as a teenager before stepping into his own, channeling the swagger of 70s icons with a heady fusion of funk, soul and rock.
His latest single, âNeed You Againâ, pulses with the loose-limbed energy of late-70s proto-house, unspooling in sinewy riffs and rubbery funk grooves as Francis narrates a tale of ruinous infatuation.
âMy girlfriend and I went out to a queer dance party called Queen! and stayed till about four in the morning, and Derrick Carter played a track that was a big rock riff over a funk beatâ, Francis recalls.Â
âThe next day I went into the studio on very little sleep and started working on the demo for âNeed You Againâ, and after I finished, I couldnât stop listening to it. Itâs a song about a love affair, and the experience of projecting magical qualities onto another person and feeling almost addicted or beholden to themâ.
The result is a glorious entry point into his upcoming album âReturn To Zeroâ, which is out 14 Mar.
🎧 Watch Francis get down through the lens of a bleached out cam-corder in the video for âNeed You Againâ below.