Birds of Chicago: Artist To Watch
Birds of Chicago photo by Natalie Ginele-Miller
In the spirit of music discovery which guides WFUV, our DJs offer their favorite new artists on the cusp of making it to the next level.
While Allison Russell and J.T. Nero had successful careers (with Po’Girl and J.T. Nero & the Clouds, respectively), the chemistry they’ve developed as Birds of Chicago eclipses anything they did before.
In Allison, J.T. found a muse and a vehicle for his emotionally-rich songs, while Allison, a soulful singer and protégé of Rhiannon Giddens, found material to sink her teeth into. They call it “secular gospel,” and as their Joe Henry-produced second studio album, Real Midnight, suggests, theirs can be a dark reality but a hopeful one, too.
