Coming from the great Western state California, Chuck Prophet is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer. His diverse career has found an abundance of success. As a songwriter, Prophet worked in Nashville as a staff writer and has co-written with artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Heart, and Kim Richey. Chuck also has fourteen solo albums to back up his repertoire. His newest album, Wake The Dead, is special. He wrote this album alongside ¿Qiensave? during a battle with stage 4 lymphoma. To Prophet, “Music was my savior”. Writing the album brought a sense of joy and rejuvenation into his life at a time when he needed it most.
The album itself blurs lines between the here and now and different genres such as rock, soul, and surf. Additionally, ¿Qiensave? brings in the unique genre of Cumbia to the album. Cumbia is Latin American music which originated in Columbia. ¿Qiensave? typically makes high energy dance music, which is different from Prophet’s usual alternative country/rock sound. Prophet has spoken about his love for Latin American music before- which started at a DJ Cumbia night at a place called The Makeout Room. From there, his admiration only grew by collecting vinyls and enjoying the heavy dance aspect of Cumbia music.
While the album takes the listener on a sonic journey across genres and themes, “First Came The Thunder” follows a lonesome lover chasing down a memory that hangs perpetually out of reach. The song has a steady chill groove. Prophet’s voice is rich, with the perfect tone to tell the story. The instrumentation is unique and the Cumbia influences are apparent in both the melody and beat.
Listen to “First Came the Thunder” below!
Tune in to 100.1 FM or lightning100.com all day to hear “First Came the Thunder” by Chuck Prophet, Dan’s DJ Pick of the Week! Share your thoughts on the track by tagging #L100DJPicks on Twitter!
