A Velvet Turn From Lil’ Red & The Rooster

Lil’ Red & The Rooster have released their latest single “Melancholy Mood,” and it reveals a deeper layer of artistry.

Taken from their upcoming album "7", the track is a sultry slow burn that simmers with understated power and graceful emotion. It doesn’t rush to make its pointbut, instead, it invites the listener into a quiet, candlelit world where every note breathes and every pause speaks volumes.

Jennifer “Lil’ Red” Milligan delivers gorgeous vocals. Her phrasing is deliberate, and each lyric lingers like smoke in the air. She doesn't oversell the emotion which is exactly what makes it hit so hard. And there is something deeply human in the way that she conveys heartache. Not as a dramatic breakdown, but as a quiet ache carried over with elegance. This is blues more as a quiet truth.

Guitarist Pascal Fouquet matches the vocals with sublime precision. Here, it's all about nuance - perfectly placed bends, gentle phrasing, and a tone so warm that it almost hums. Then the B3 organ work by Bobby Floyd is a rich addition, but not overwhelming. It provides a warm bed of sound that gently swells and recedes beneath the track, whilst the rhythm section - Jean Marc Despeignes on bass and Pascal Mucci on drums - creates a soft, heartbeat like groove that pulses with a quiet intensity.

Overall, "Melancholy Mood" is like the soundtrack to a slow dance in a forgotten nightclub, or a late night drive with the windows cracked and the past in the rearview mirror.

It’s blues, yes, but with the soul of a jazz ballad and the polish of classic torch songs. And yet, despite these clear influences, the track feels present, lived in, honest and very much of its own time.

If this single is any indication, 7 promises to be a richly textured album, full of emotional depth and musical finesse.

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