Elizabeth King - I Got a Love (2022) Hi-Res

After releasing the standalone stunner “What You Gonna Do?” in late 2021, Elizabeth King is set to release a new collection of sacred soul recordings, each more fiery than the last, entitled I Got a Love out June 24, 2022 on Bible & Tire Recording Co. (an imprint of Fat Possum). The album was produced by Bible & Tire founder Bruce Watson and backed by his Sacred Soul Sound Section led by guitar aficionado, Will Sexton.

Most of the material on the album was drawn from pioneering 70s gospel DJ/producer Juan D. Shipp’s D-Vine Spirituals Records catalog. Elizabeth was the flagship artist on the label and her early recordings are part of Bible & Tire's ongoing D-Vine Spirituals reissue series including their latest compilations Sacred Soul: The D-Vine Spirituals Records Story Volume 1 and 2.

Shipp, an 83 year old producer, DJ and longtime manager of Elizabeth, didn’t miss the chance to be back in the studio with Elizabeth, egging her on. This 60 year old relationship has flourished as the recordings indicate. Once the album was thought to have been completed, Watson had one more trick up his sleeve. He enlisted Mississippi rhythm & blues shaman Jimbo Mathus (Squirrel Nut Zippers, Buddy Guy, Andrew Bird) to produce one more cut for the record.

He wanted a Mathus original. Something outside the box. What came was the title track “I Got a Love.” Like a haunting stroll through the dark Memphis streets with a desperate cry of love and affection. Elizabeth cries out “I got a love, people. That comes from Heaven above.” The song would not be complete without the Memphis-style horn arrangement from Art Edmaiston and background vocals from Mathus and his protege Schaefer Llana.

I Got A Love shows a different side of King. A more raw and vibrant side. The songs have more energy, more stamina and drive harder than her previous release without compromising the integrity of King’s glorious voice and personality. It’s as if Elizabeth was just getting warmed up with her 2021 album Living In the Last Days and now the stage is set with this new offering.

The true concept of sacred soul can be found in earnest on tracks like “I Need The Lord” and “My Robe,” which find King and company weaving that historic Memphis Soul Sound within the gospel framework, always keen on delivering the sacred message. The real gem however, can be found within the two and a half minute acapella performance of “Give Me Wings.”

King, accompanied by her daughters in the round sing the words “As I go from door to door, loved ones gone, I won’t see ‘em down here no more. That makes me feel like flying away, to be at rest.” Elizabeth’s delivery is personal. Not only does she sing for the love and loss of her late husband years ago, but for all of the many who that have gone on before her. I Got a Love is a testament to the many years Elizabeth has spent honing her craft and patiently waiting for her moment