Northern Irish singer-songwriter Lee Rogers has today issued a brand new single entitled ‘Peace Of Mind’, his first solo recording since the release of a long-awaited second album of Americana-tinged songs entitled ‘Gameblood’ in mid-2022.
“I wrote ‘Peace Of Mind’ as a positive song about relationships,” states Rogers. “We are always so good at writing and listening to break-up songs. but what if we wrote songs about staying together and letting your partner know that it actually is possible? This is my sunshine song!”
An accompanying video for the track features his young son, with Rogers explaining that “because the song has a kind of summer vibe, it took me back to thinking about my summers as a kid and the things I liked to do. We decided to capture that on camera with the help of Isaac!”
Video director Jamie Neish adds “my take on the song is that it’s all about a woman making you feel safe. Lee and I talked about how moments of peace in the chaos remind you of when you were a kid and didn’t have a care in the world. We wanted a video that made us feel like that and Lee’s boy became our explorer and surveyor, reminding us of what it’s like to find joy in all sorts.”
Hailing from the outskirts of Belfast, Rogers drew his initial inspiration from the classic voices of singers such as Bill Withers, Tom Waits and Marc Cohn, all bright colours from a musical palette far away from the reality of life in Northern Ireland.
He released a debut album entitled ‘Drawing Clocks’ in 2006 that received attention worldwide, with songs from it placed in several films and TV shows, but his record label became ensnared in the (now infamous) HBOS banking scandal, leaving the unassuming Rogers to ponder his next move.
Having subsequently built a successful career as an award-winning tattoo artist while continuing to write songs in his spare time, he eventually recorded a number of them with producer and compatriot Gareth Dunlop and released a handful of darker sounding efforts on an EP entitled ‘Dark Notions’ in late 2021. This was followed in mid-2022 by ‘Gameblood’, a masterclass in open-hearted, lyrical storytelling that also served as a diary of Rogers’ diverse life experiences. A thought-provoking and earthy masterwork, it was reminiscent of artists such as John Martyn, Keb’ Mo and Tom Waits. ‘Gameblood’ was promoted with tours of the USA, mainland Europe and Ireland with Foy Vance, plus several dates with Dunlop.
Rogers and Dunlop recently released an acclaimed duet entitled ‘The Past Is Never Dead’, the title song of a new documentary about the US author William Faulkner.
