Much like his work with seminal L.A. band Green on Red, Chuck Prophet's first new album in three years, Soap and Water, defies categorization. Soap and Water moves deftly from Americana and rock to R&B, molding styles at will. A true renaissance rocker, Prophet is a writer, producer and musician who helped define Los Angeles' Paisley Underground scene and open the door for alt.country's rise to prominence in the 1990s. Prophet's dark undercurrents and mythic persona have coupled with his seat-of-the-pants creative philosophy to make him one of the most sought-after songwriters in music today. He's laid down sessions with Warren Zevon, had his songs recorded by Solomon Burke and produced/written for Kelly Willis, yet Prophet is at his most potently distilled when writing and recording for his solo projects. "When I get some kind of inspirational virus, I follow it through to its conclusion." In the case of Chuck Prophet, it's the Soap and Water that's contagious.
Chuck's first album in 4 years is inspired by the cumbia bands he saw at San Francisco clubs in the pandemic's aftermath, while undergoing cancer treatment. The music was a source of joy, during a dark time. He started playing with ¿Qiensave? a cumbia band based in Salinas, CA. The result is 11 new Chuck Prophet songs wrapped in a cumbia shell. The latin rhythms & chord progressions merge with Chuck's signature song styles to create something new that defies genre, but is undeniably joyful.