A further exercise in musical curation, Child Of Nature is our latest sonic confluence of self-released tracks from the loners, hippies and outsiders of the 70s and early 80s. A collection of privately pressed music, able to breathe and be created free from the constraints of heavy handed commercialism, yielding a pure vision of artistic expression. Child Of Nature features ten songs of brooding soft rock and psychedelic folk steeped in melancholia. Some ache for better times or past lovers, while others seek spiritual fulfilment or social progress.
A compilation to evoke the raw and unobstructed, to summon the occult, to fundamentally conjure a vivid portrait of our untamed natural environment. Recorded on the north coast of California, Luellen Reese’s ethereal “Silvery Waterfalls” drifts and swirls with electric guitar as her unearthly vocals transcend across a seven minute opus, fit for the golden age of labels like 4AD or Dedicated. “The flowers are dancing just for you …”, Reggie Russell croons over glistening Key Of Creek’s title track “Child Of Nature”, evoking a utopian world of natural harmony free from the present day realities of industrial decay.
Tap into your inner primal being, to embrace wholeheartedly, with frivolity and without reserve, your own child of nature.

A1 - Is This What You Like - Terra
A2 - The Tribe - The Fred Bloggs Band
A3 - Morning Light - Smythe And Rucker
A4 - Zig Zag - David Chalmers
A5 - High Again - Shades Of Rayne
B1 - Animal Talk - Dana Alberts
B2 - Child Of Nature - The Key Of Creek
B3 - Child Of Earth - Chuck Robinson
B4 - Silvery Waterfalls - Luellen Reese
B5 - The Lost Road - Doria More

Beyond The Willow Tree is a hauntingly beautiful anthology of folk songs chronicling the experience of a young black man growing up in the segregated south. A balanced mix of covers and originals, Cleveland Francis’ body of work seamlessly blends deep, soulful vocals with the stripped-down acoustic instrumentation of folk. In the late 60’s Francis coined the term “soulfolk”, playing his genre bending music across college campuses and coffee shops while earning a medical degree at William & Mary.

These songs serve as a missing link between soul and folk music, suppressed by the harsh political landscape of a music industry heavily influenced by racial stereotypes. “If you were black, you played blues or soul music … I wanted to play folk music,” Cleveland professed.

Included in this double LP set is Cleveland Francis’ entire 1970 self-released album Follow Me, featuring the original artwork and liner notes printed inside the gatefold. The second LP takes you Beyond The Willow Tree with unreleased demos recorded in 1968 along with one 45 only single recorded in 1970.

“These recordings are a look into my soul through a long and lonely journey to understand feelings of my childhood, poverty, racial segregation, bigotry, war, love and hope. It represents my attempt to express and come to terms with all that I have seen and felt as a Black man growing up in America.” - Cleveland Francis

Tracklist:

A1 - The Willow Tree
A2 - Little Green Apples
A3 - Early Morning Rain
A4 - When I’m Sixty Four
A5 - Hot Sun
A6 - Hey Jude
B1 - Just Think About It For A While
B2 - Both Sides Now
B3 - Rain
B4 - Time
B5 - Getting Ready For Tomorrow
B6 - With God On Our Side
C1 - What’s Wrong With The World
C2 - Ballad Of Martin Luther King
C3 - Change
C4 - It’s Got To Get Better
D1 - Hot Sun (demo)
D2 - Early Morning Rain (demo)
D3 - Summertime
D4 - Just Think About It For A While (demo)
D5 - The Willow Tree (demo) More