PRE-ORDER: This item will be shipped with the aim to deliver on release day.
Format Details: Oxblood Red LP
Release Date: 30 June 2023
Label: Magnolia Blue Records
Packaging Type: Digipak
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 5070002277408
Release Date: 30 June 2023
Label: Magnolia Blue Records
Packaging Type: Slip Sleeve (CD or Vinyl)
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 5070002277415
Release Date: 26 June 2026
Label: Magnolia Blue Records
Packaging Type: Slip Sleeve (CD or Vinyl)
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 5070002277446
Description
"If you like soul music, with a healthy dose of blues and funk thrown in, and if you like honest storytelling and songs that will lift your spirit, then you might want to check my music out," ensures London by New Orleans soul revivalist Acantha Lang.
Description
"If you like soul music, with a healthy dose of blues and funk thrown in...and if you like honest storytelling and songs that will lift your spirit, then you might want to check my music out," ensures London by New Orleans soul revivalist Acantha Lang.
In a few short years, rising Robert Randolph collaborator Acantha Lang has swiftly become one of modern soul music's best-kept secrets -- building a dedicated fanbase through her "Standing On The Shoulders Of..." Soul series (currently over 9 million views across socials) where she honors past Stax and soul legends with spirited reimaginings of jukebox classics. Thus far, she's earned widespread praise across BBC Radio, earned over 1 million streams (and counting), and has been playlisted on top Spotify playlists including earning a spot on Spotify's Best Retro Songs of 2021 and Best Funk Songs of 2022 playlist all without a debut album - until now.
Come June 30th, Lang will release her debut album 'Beautiful Dreams' a record that's destined to propel her from an undiscovered gem into the pantheon of modern soul greats. With Acantha's takes on Stax-inspired funk with Southern blues, she tells highly personal tales atop spirited, shimmering grooves. Acantha's storytelling style harkens to age-old blues traditions while grounding itself in contemporary themes, delivering head-on lyrical attacks on fake news (the tell-all "He Said/She Said"), odes to motherly love in the wake of Katrina's disaster (the gripping "Lois Lang"), and celebrations of Black strength and womanhood with confidence and pride.
Description
Three years on from its original release, Beautiful Dreams remains one of the most compelling independent soul debuts of recent years - a bold, emotionally rich record steeped in Southern soul, blues & classic funk. Driven by Acantha Lang's powerhouse vocals, the album blends deeply personal songwriting with fiery horn arrangements, organ-laced grooves, gritty guitar work & the timeless spirit of classic Stax & Memphis soul, while speaking with a distinctly contemporary voice.
Upon release, the album achieved early commercial traction in the UK, charting on both the Official UK Independent Album Breakers Chart & the Official UK Jazz & Blues Chart. The album received strong BBC 6 Music Radio support and critical praise for its authenticity, songwriting & vocal power. With the renewed global appetite for soul-forward artists such as Olivia Dean, Jalen Ngonda, Lady Wray and Thee Sacred Souls, alongside the enduring influence of icons such as Aretha Franklin & Gladys Knight, Beautiful Dreams sits confidently at the intersection of timeless Southern soul tradition & contemporary market demand.
"A thirteen track set of undiluted soulfulness" - 5/5 - Echoes Magazine
"Traces [of] Aretha Franklin, the young Mavis Staples, even Nina Simone, but the whole thing belongs only to her" - 4/5 - Soul Bag Magazine (France)
Tracklisting
Tracklisting
Tracklisting
Reality
Sly Stone
Roy Ayers Ubiquity
Prince
Mackenzies
Brooklyn Funk Essentials
Distant Birds
Freddie King
