Saxophonist Michael Lington to release ninth CD Second Nature in April

Multi-talented saxophonist, producer and composer Michael Lington has arrived in his own sacred space with the release of his ninth solo project, Second Nature, set for release on Copenhagen Music April 5, 2016. Showcasing all originals with the exception of one lone cover the chart-topping soul anthem, “Soul Finger,” Lington’s Second Nature creates melodic musical wonders punctuated by stirring horn sections, grooving bass lines, a swirling organ, funky guitar licks and driving rhythms. In preparing for this album, Lington immersed himself in the classic Memphis sessions and even journeyed to the STAX museum. While most of the album was recorded at the famed Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, Lington also recorded at the legendary Royal Studios in Memphis, which has churned out sessions for everyone from Al Green, Chuck Berry and Buddy Guy to Ike and Tina Turner, Solomon Burke, Otis Rush and Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland.

Second Nature unites a who’s who list in music that transcends genre and musical boundaries, including GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and venerable bluesman Booker T. Jones and The Dap Kings, the celebrated soul/funk outfit most notably known for their hit-making collaborations with Sharon Jones and Amy Winehouse. Lington also enlists Hollywood Walk of Fame recipient, multi-Platinum and GRAMMY-winning guitarist Ray Parker Jr. and chart-topping vocalist Taylor Dane. Brian Culbertson fans will be delighted to hear the pianist surprisingly featured on trombone. Producer/songwriter Barry Eastmond (Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Brandy, Kenny Lattimore, Al Jarreau) who also produced Lington’s 2014 recording Soul Appeal, joins forces again with Lington and the chemistry is electric. The duo have recorded two albums together and written over sixty songs with one another.

Second Nature opens with the album’s first single, “Beale Street.” Paying homage to the River City with a number that Lington co-wrote with Eastmond (who plays Wurlitzer), Lington lays it all on the line with his robust alto and sets the tone for the joyous excursion ahead. Booker T. Jones and the Memphis Horns bless the track with their soul-drenched performance. “Stone Cool,” is a funky ditty that is the perfect forum for Lington and the band to strut their stuff. Ray Parker Jr.’s driving guitar shines on this track while the Dap Kings’ add just the right touch with their mellow horn groove. “Memphis Strut,” featuring the Memphis Horns is fashioned in the style of a Staples Singers/Amy Winehouse cut and is one of Michael’s favorites. 

Lington cooks up a winner and does justice to the timeless late 1960s chart-topping soul anthem “Soul Finger” by the Bar-Kays for which he assembled a band of legendary Stax rhythm section players and members of Al Green’s band. Lington shares, “In a sad twist fate, Ben Cauley, who wrote the song and was a founding member of the Bar-Kays, passed away the day we recorded it. He was also the sole survivor of the 1967 plane crash that claimed the lives of Otis Redding and four members of the Bar-Kays. “Block Party” is somewhat of a Memphis meets Motown composition and “Alright” is a bluesy number accented by the sublime vocals of Taylor Dayne whose timeless hits “Tell It To My Heart” and “Love Will Lead You Back” will forever be classics. Lington takes us to church with “Sunday Morning” and “Wooh,” just as the title exclaims is a high-octane number that percolates with excitement. The album closes with “Midnight Drive,” reminiscent of Mr. Magic and the CTI glory days. Fusing the finer elements of jazz, blues, soul and R&B this Eastmond and Lington original featuring the guitars of Paul Jackson Jr. and Phil Hamilton, has all the makings of a modern day classic.

Second Nature brings Lington full-circle to the music he first fell in love with while a teen in Copenhagen, Denmark, nearly 5,000 miles away from the mecca of blues and soul, He became a U.S. citizen in 2008 and has performed numerous times for the Danish Royal Family, including the wedding reception of Crown Prince Frederik, the country’s future king. Aside from his own tours, he has graced the stage with Barry Manilow, Bobby Caldwell, Randy Crawford and Michael Bolton and plans to tour extensively in support of the new album. A renaissance man, outside of the music industry he is busy running Michael Lington Cigars and Lington Wines, and is soon to launch his own signature saxophone mouthpiece.

Second Nature affirms that Michael Lington is right where he should be in his element and at the top of his game- enjoying music and living life to the fullest. The visionary concludes, “I hope when people hear the new recording they can hear how I have grown as an artist and that I can continuing to evolve. The ability to create and continually reinvent myself is what keeps me going.”