Mighty Joe Belson BassSongs
- Americana |
- Folk |
- Indie Folk |
- Instrumental
Release Date: November 20, 2026
Label: Necessary Vice
Drawing on folk and Appalachian traditions, Mighty Joe Belson transforms the bowed bass into an expressive melodic instrument on the intimate, beautifully understated BassSongs.
Mighty Joe Belson gives the acoustic bass a voice of its own on BassSongs, a deeply personal instrumental album that explores joy, grief, gratitude, and redemption through a collection of gentle, melodic compositions. Drawing inspiration from pop, folk, and Appalachian music, Belson places the bowed bass front and center, allowing its rich tones and expressive range to carry stories without the need for words.
Having previously explored electronica, jazz, and ambient piano music, Belson takes a different approach here, favoring unhurried arrangements and memorable melodies that often resemble traditional songs stripped of their lyrics. Recorded entirely at home over the course of a year, the album features Belson performing on various acoustic basses, accompanied by guitar and piano. Reto Peter handled mixing at The Tea House Studio in Oakland, with mastering by Jessica Thompson.
Several compositions have particularly personal origins. The reflective "Drink To Forget" dates back to Belson's senior year of high school, when he began examining his own experiences with alcohol. "Ten Roses" grew out of a gratitude practice in which he imagines ten roses appearing above a desert highway, each representing something worth appreciating. Meanwhile, the more uplifting "Redwood" captures the peaceful beauty of sunlight filtering through the towering trees of a redwood grove.
Mighty Joe Belson describes BassSongs as the most challenging project of his career, one that required him to overcome technical setbacks, self-doubt, and unexpected obstacles. The resulting album reveals the surprising emotional possibilities of an instrument typically heard supporting other musicians, with Belson using its full range to create an intimate collection of wordless songs.