Ana Egge Drops New Album 'Is It the Kiss' Today

Today, Brooklyn singer-songwriter Ana Egge releases her new album Is It the Kiss via StorySound Records. To celebrate, Ana has record release shows at the Caveat in New York City on 9/8 (RSVP required) and at Philadelphia Folksong Society on 9/20. She'll have a 7-piece band behind her at The Caveat show which will include Alec Spiegelman, Scott Colberg (Calexico), and Rachel Price (Lake Street Dive). Ana will also be at AmericanaFest playing her official showcase on 9/14 as well as Missing Piece Group's 10-year Anniversary party on 9/12.

On the making of Is It the Kiss, Ana says, "I wrote these songs in a bit of a fever. They came into being all in a rush. My wife and I have a five-year-old daughter and in many of the demos I made while writing these songs you can hear her and her friend running through the hallway, playing with their dolls. There's been a change in me in the past two years. And in many people I know. There's an uneasiness and a deeper need for connection. I've also felt the shift in my audience. People are listening like they never have before. I too, am listening. Like I never have before. That's where these songs come from."

In their premiere of the album, Folk Alley stated, "Is It the Kiss continues to deliver on the promise of Ana Egge's heart-revealing writing and, in doing so, consistently peels back the layers of the listener's defenses."

No Depression praised that, "Egge and the characters she creates swing with life's ups and downs and, because of the rich details she puts into each story, we go along for the ride: Peek from side stage at the Nudie-suit wearing 'Cocaine Cowboys' as they beguile their audience; witness the violent tragedy within 'Teacake and Janey'; fall terrifyingly in love on 'Stay the Night.'"

"Despite the emotional rollercoaster of Egge's narratives, there's a deep ease to the soundscape of Is It the Kiss. It's an ease that's equivalent to Sunday morning, or every single day of the summer when you are a kid."

Is It the Kiss, Egge's eleventh album, has nine originals along with a cover of Diana Jones' "Balld of the Poor Child" which Ana performs as a duet with Iris DeMent. The record has been embraced by Rolling Stone, The Boot, WXPN's The Key, American Songwriter, PopMatters and more.

Despite its traditional roots, Is It the Kiss is something of a soul record. The tracks are grounded by the Brooklyn indie-all-star rhythm section of Jacob Silver and Robin MacMillan, the slow grooves are sweetened by alt-guitar flashes from Big Thief's Buck Meek as well as horns from Cole Kamen-Green and Adam Dotson. At the center of it all is Ana's guitar, that sounds like it knows something about how Steve Cropper and Curtis Mayfield could delicately, but determinedly, provide a sweetly-beating funky heart. Along with providing the wind and brass arrangements throughout the album, the whole is put togther by multi-instrumentalist, arranger, and producer Alec Spiegelman (Cuddle Magic).

Is It the Kiss Tracklist:

1. Cocaine Cowboys

2. What Could Be

3. Oh My My

4. Ballad of the Poor Child

5. Hurt a Little

6. Teacake and Janey

7. James

8. Rise Above

9. Stay the Night

10. Chasing Rabbits in the Sun

Tour Dates:

Sept 8 - New York, NY @ Caveat [Record Release Show]

Sept 12 - Nashville, TN @ Diskin Cider [Missing Piece Group 10th Anniversary Party]

Sept 14 - Nashville, TN @ Analog at Hutton Hotel [AmericanaFest Official Showcase]

Sept 20 - Philadelphia, PA @ Philadelphia Folk Song Society [Record Release Show]

Sept 21 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Americana Festival

Oct 2 - Boston, MA @ Haymarket Lounge at City Winery

Oct 3 - Brownfield, ME @ Stone Mountain Arts Center

Oct 4 - Rockland, ME @ Strand Theatre

Oct 5 - Bethlehem, NH @ Colonial Theatre

Oct 11 - Burlington, VT @ First Unitarian Church

Oct 12 - Putney, VT @ Next Stage

Oct 18 - Cambridge, MA @ Lizard Lounge

Oct 19 - Cambridge, NY @ Argyle Brewing Company's Cambridge Depot

Oct 20 - Portland, ME @ St. Lawrence Arts & Community Center

Oct 25 - Brooklyn, NY @ House of Love

Oct 28 - Birmingham, UK @ The Kitchen Garden Cafe

Oct 30 - Camden, UK @ Green Note

Nov 2 - Steyning, UK @ Sakala Steyning

Nov 4 - Brighton, UK @ The Greys

Nov 10 - New Haven, CT @ East Rock