Eliza Neals may not be a household name in Jersey City, but this seasoned blues artist enjoys a worldwide reputation bolstered by an impressive history of festival appearances, radio play, and chart success for her self-released albums and singles.
Neals had a fantastic 2017 as one of the most popular independent blues artists on the planet, with accolades and chart-topping tracks in sources like Get Ready To Rock, The Roots Music Report, and American Blues Scene. The blues may no longer be part of the American mainstream, but it's still hugely popular overseas and to passionate hardcore aficionados.
Now local fans will have a chance to discover Neals when she performs two sets at FM, Downtown Jersey City's newest venue, on Friday, March 23. The next night she'll be at Hat City Kitchen in Orange, and on April 26, she'll be back in Jersey City at the Fox & Crow.
Born and raised in Detroit, Neals moved to Jersey City over a decade ago. "I actually went back and forth between New Jersey and Detroit for about two years, and then moved here permanently about 10 years ago," Neals said. "I'm a certified artist at 150 Bay, which is a special building for all kinds of artists, from painters to musicians. There are a lot of artsy people in this area, which is why I love living here. My building has artists and writers and singers, all kinds of artists."
Neals has been singing her entire life; her father played guitar professionally and she and her sister would perform around the house. "We sang everything from folk tunes to pop songs, and we just got into writing our own music as kids," she said. "We really got into old blues songs, people like Etta James and B.B. King."
Neals started performing around Detroit when she met Motown pioneer Barrett Strong, who's in the Songwriters Hall of Fame for hits like "Money (That's What I Like,") "Heard It Through The Grapevine," and "Papa Was A Rolling Stone." Strong has also produced a plethora of soul, R&B, and blues standards.
"I've been writing with Barrett Strong since right out of college," Neals said. "We have 60 songs written together, I've learned so much working with him, he's really been my mentor. I learned how he produced vocals for Marvin Gaye, I learned how he produced vocals for Gladys Knight. I was in that school.
"I started entering talent shows and winning this and winning that, then I was in choir in high school, then I went to music school in Detroit and studied opera," Neals said. "But everybody always kept saying that I should sing the blues because I had that raspy voice. So I started singing at blues clubs and I got to sit in with people like Bettye LaVette and Juanita McCray, and so many people in Detroit who were just there playing these little joints. And people would say, you got something there, keep going, and I got more and more into the blues."
Neals released her first album "Breaking & Entering" three years ago and it debuted at No. 2 on the worldwide blues charts. "It was an Amazon bestseller in the blues for months," she said. "So that was pretty cool. And I got a lot of radio play with the song 'Breaking & Entering' right away, so I thought, wow, I've really got something here, and I've just kept going, just getting bluesier with my voice."
The reviews she's received would make any pop star jealous:
"Accomplished the near impossible," American Blues Scene.
"Simply breathtaking," Blues Matters UK.
"Album with imperceptible faults," Soul Bag France.
"We know she's good and this album confirms it," Blues News Norway.
"Should be tattooed on the soul of all you blues-rockers out there," Blues In Britain.
Neals' success seems even more impressive when factoring in that she doesn't have a record label or management company behind her.
"I've got some really exciting shows coming up, like Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago and the Gloucester Blues Festival, I'm at the Turning Point in Piermont, New York, these are all really hard blues gigs to get," she noted. "And the fact that I'm on my own label makes it even harder. But releasing my own music means I can be as creative and artsy as I want, and just do what I want 100 percent, without someone telling me to go into a studio and recording 10 songs in three days. If an offer came along that seemed really great, I would think about it. But so far nothing's been offered that I can't do better myself."
Neals' most recent single, "Another Lifetime," made it to No. 6 on B.B. King's Rack Of Blues Sirius-XM radio show, and remains in rotation there.
"I like writing songs solo – I write them all on the piano – but I wanted to have a band, so I put one together," Neals said. "The first person I reached out to was Howard Glazer in Detroit, who's an amazing guitarist but really plays a rocking blues. He's more of a rocker, but he plays the blues great, like Johnny Winter."
The core lineup also includes John Abraham on bass and Demarcus Sumter on drums, although Neals has other musicians on tap in both Detroit and New Jersey if she needs them.
"I wanted a really cool name for the band, something edgy," Neals said. "We called ourselves the Narcotics because our music gets you high."
IF YOU GO:
Eliza Neals & The Narcotics will play two sets at FM (340 Third Street, Jersey City) on Friday, March 23. The first set begins at 9 p.m. and admission is free. For more information, visit ElizaNeals.com.