Joslyn & The Sweet Compression are bona fide, and they want the world to know it.
A rising force out of Lexington, Kentucky, the band led by Joslyn Hampton come out swinging on their sophomore album, ready to uplift and inspire through their singular and stirring soul-funk sound. 2019’s critically acclaimed debut album made them a favorite headliner at regional clubs and music festivals. After a grueling and relentless tour schedule – one that saw them supporting Tower of Power at New York’s Sony Hall and Tyler Childers at Colorado’s legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre – the band are back with Bona Fide, a sonically and emotionally charged record that captures their breathtaking live energy as well as their humanity.
Releasing August 25, Bona Fide is a resounding testament to Joslyn & The Sweet Compression’s unparalleled talents, as well as an homage to the band’s co-founder (and Joslyn Hampton’s step-father), Marty Charters, who passed away in 2022. A touring guitarist and songwriter who shared the stage with legends such as Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, and Van Morrison, Charters was responsible for conceiving Joslyn & The Sweet Compression and assembling its first lineup. In addition to co-writing all of Bona Fide’s songs together with Hampton, he played all guitar tracks on the album and served as its producer.
Musically, Bona Fide blends soulful and smoldering neo-funk with elements of ‘70s and ‘80s R&B. Hampton pulls from her inspirations – Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Whitney Houston, and Mariah Carey – as well as from the opera singers she studied in college. “I find myself applying all of the things I’ve learned to my passion now, and placing it in my music,” she shares.
The result is a unique, hooky style that helps Joslyn & The Sweet Compression stand apart from their contemporaries. To Hampton, Bona Fide is a record of a ride she calls “the human rollercoaster.”
Today Glide is excited to premiere the video for the tune that is one of the album’s brightest moments and also one of its darkest. “Truth in the Moment” is a stirring ballad that serves as a heart-on-sleeve surrender – a raw reckoning with oneself. For Hampton, it’s a moment of unfiltered humility. This is reflected in her gorgeously affecting vocals that pull you into this journey of soulful reflection. In the video, we see Hampton commanding the stage like a true star who is capable of owning the spotlight. Her backing back lays down just the right amount of musical textures to enhance the power of her voice and lyrics to give the song its true emotional impact. Though this tune is a slow burner, the real reward comes at the end when Hampton takes her vocals to the next level.
Joslyn Hampton describes the inspiration behind the tune:
‘Truth in the Moment’ is when you’re making all these promises – not even to everyone else, but to yourself. I’m going on a diet, I’m going to change my life, I’m no longer going to lie to myself – everything you’re saying, you mean them with your whole heart, and then you turn around a couple weeks later and you’ve done none of them. But you weren’t blatantly being dishonest; you believed everything you said you were going to do in that moment. In the song, I’m having to turn to the last person in the world I thought I would have to turn to in my darkest moments, and say, I know I told you I was going to do better before, but I am back here needing your help.
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