Sun King Rising Offers Authentic Look At Southern Life On “Delta Tales”

Since its release in 2020, Sun King Rising has gained much attention and popularity with his full-length release, Delta Tales. This fusion of Classic Southern Rock and Soul music has pushed the boundaries of what is possible when the love of music can feel felt, and experienced rather than just consumed. Delta Tales is a collaborative effort that is spearheaded by Organic Prog-Rocker, Vocalist, Keyboardist, and String player, John Blangero as a non-prog solo project. Featuring some of the strongest, talented musicians around, Sun King Rising is born as each track offers a unique feel and groove dependent on the guest musicians. Although each track features strong vocals and keyboard melodies that tie each track together, there is also an underlying groove that is ever-present, giving life to this project instead of making it a compilation release. Tracks like “Down The Delta Road” and “Milkweed And Thistle” are two examples of Sun King Rising capturing that Crossroads archetype we have all grown up with and enjoyed, while “Evangeline In The Morning” and “Beneath The Southern Sun” are tracks filled with imagery of the Southern Delta. Sun King Rising is a songwriter’s album, as each verse is sculpted around a metaphor, either simple (as in the Delta) or quite profound as heard on “The Snake,” and “Love Turns Grey.”

Delta Tales is a complete package that transports the audience into the Delta, giving the listener a pure taste of Southern life, void of hardship and strife, but exploring the majesty of life in the South. The soul influences shine through as the groove is contemporary and offers something fresh and inspiring while the most ambitious fans will still find the nostalgia and homage to the greatest theme ever explored. Each track is expertly mixed to give the listener the full audio spectrum, and each track blends into the next to tell a full story which can only be fully appreciated by listening to the album from start to finish. As a fan of this album now since its October 2020 release, and have given it many listen, I still find subtle nuances which peek through, surprising me and keeping me invested in this project. With over 200k streams now, I am eager to see what comes next for John Blangero’s Sun King Rising project.

–Lee Callaghan