Eli 'Paperboy' Reed Inks Deal with Warner Bros. Records

By: Tyler Peterson Apr. 18, 2013

Warner Bros. Records is pleased to announce it has signed singer-songwriter and guitarist Eli "Paperboy" Reed to its roster and will release his newest song "WooHoo" on limited-edition 7" vinyl in honor of Record Store Day this Saturday, April 20th. The self-produced "WooHoo" is limited to 3000 copies worldwide.

The Boston-born, Mississippi- and Chicago-bred Reed has two previous albums under his belt, 2008's Roll With You and 2010's Come & Get It, which have earned him a fervent fan following in Europe (where he was nominated as "Breakthrough Artist of the Year" by Britain's Mojo Magazine) and widespread critical acclaim from the U.S. media. Rolling Stone has called him "a soul singer who conquered both street corners and punk clubs with a mix of grooved-out rave-ups and slow-burning ballads," while Spin has praised his "his boyishly furious rasp that transforms familiar blues tropes into something simultaneously self-effacing and brash."

Reed is currently putting the finishing touches on his debut album for Warner Bros. Records, which he produced himself with his guitarist Ryan Spraker. The album represents a sonic evolution beyond the singer's soulful roots, taking his affinity for classic Chicago R&B and blending it with the ebullience of modern pop music.

"I think my style, and in particular my approach, have changed pretty dramatically over the course of the writing of this album," Reed says. "But I still come back to the main elements that I believe are paramount to the creation of a good song: strong melodies, powerful turns-of-phrase, and dynamics. Earlier in my career, I used those principles mostly to create genre pieces. Even if I wasn't basing an idea off a particular song that already existed, I was working within the preexisting framework of Rhythm and Blues. When Ryan and I started working on writing songs for this album, I didn't intend to throw out the rule book, but I wanted to do my best to work without a set of parameters other than the ones I mentioned above. Songs with those hallmarks exist in all styles and genres so that was pretty freeing unto itself." More news on Eli "Paperboy" Reed to be announced soon.