Chuck Harmony and Claude Kelly are two names in the music industry that hold weight as being geniuses with their ears for music and sound. Individually their discography dates back to the early 2000s—well, 2002 for Kelly, 2007 for Harmony—but together they have been able to create the type of sound clash that hit records are made of. Both Grammy nominated, and Harmony a winner, their talent is undisputed in the industry over the last decade plus. As a team they are known as Louis York. The duo have released their debut album, American Griots – The Album. The Louis York American Griots album was released on October 18th.

Prior to releasing the album Louis York unveiled two singles, “Don’t You Forget” and “You Gotta Be (Reimagined),” which is a cover of the classic Des’ree song. Visuals were also released for both tracks.

“The best way to put it is that American Griots is our musical dissertation,” said Louis York members Claude Kelly and Chuck Harmony. “We poured our hearts, our pain, our lessons, and our musical training into every song. This body of work is our personal suggestion of what the next decade should feel & sound like. Enjoy the journey.”

The new album features a bevy of stand-out tracks all of which were written and produced by Harmony and Kelly. The thought provoking “I Wonder,” features Nashville poet Caroline Randall Williams, and tackles a wider message about the world at large, evoking a conversation on what activist predecessors would have thought about culture in 2019. Another album highlight includes the country-inspired track “Teach Me a Song,” which features acclaimed country singer, songwriter Jimmie Allen.

Louis York American Griots – The Album Tracklist

01. American Griots Intro featuring Caroline Randall Williams
02. All In My Feelings
03. No Regrets featuring The Shindellas
04. Electric Blue
05. Teach Me A Song featuring Jimmie Allen
06. Teach Me A Song Reprise featuring Caroline Randall Williams
07. Glow
08. How Will I Feel
09. Don’t You Forget
10. Velvet
11. I Wonder featuring Patrick Dailey, W. Crimm Singers and Caroline Randall Williams
12. Love Takeover featuring The Shindellas and Emoni Wilkins
13. You Gotta Be (Reimagined)

Stream American Griots – The Album below: