Fresh off of their successful Kickstarter campaign to fund this project, De Robert & The Half Truths come correct with one helluva sophomore album on GED Soul Records. I’m Tryin’ is the second full length since 2010’s Soul In A Digital World. Soul lovers got a tease in 2011 with the Beg Me Ep, but this effort shows an updated, more mature side to this Tennessee outfit. Unleashing what they would call ‘Working Man’s Soul’, these players know what it is like to be a musician in the Soul game. They know what it means to just get by, working side jobs just to keep their passion and music alive. Expanding from the foundation of Soul music itself, the gritty, old sounds of heartache, poverty, and losing anything are added to the De Robert & The Half Truths signature Modern sound. This is what this record is all about. This band doesn’t forget the past, they make sure you know that they aren’t stuck in it.

The record opens with the Gospel influenced “I’m Tryin’ “. You literally go back to church, get a Gospel Soul education and when you’re done it’s time to get to the secular stuff. The band bust into some heavy horn driven Soul with “Momma Told Me”, and then De Robert gets into his best D’Angelo mode on “Ooh Wee” as the Half Truths smooth it out like Teddy Riley for the duration. Tracks like “The Dole Pt. 2” and “Write A Letter” are the old meets the new sound, and are just terrific. “Do It Alone”, with it’s bouncy rhythm and horn sections and De Robert’s crooning proves that these guys are really much more than some fly by night throwback. It’s the struggle that can be distinctively heard in their sound, and the adversity that challenged all of them that shows through in these songs. Sides like “Please Shine On Me” and “Yes I Want It” are personal, heartfelt tracks that could only have been made through trying times. The record itself was financed through crowd sourcing, and that’s a testament of what the public thinks about this band. They’ve only been around 7 years, and in that time have made a huge impact on the Funk and Soul community world wide. They are a true voice in this Soul community, and the scene has recognized that.

Below are two tracks to preview from this forthcoming release, dropping on the 21st of January officially. “Goin’ Places”, is a stand out side that has a Modern feel and an undeniably mid 60’s sweetness about it, while “Get On It” is a slow burner that echoes Tyrone Ashley. If De Robert and the Half Truths are just trying’, they’ve done one bang up job of it. Nashville, TN, stand up, these boys have done you proud.

Find GED Soul Records on the web here.

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