Ode to R.L is a heartfelt collaborative album in honor of the late Hill Country Blues legend R.L. Boyce, born out of a magical night at Luther Dickinson’s Zebra Ranch Studios in Coldwater, Mississippi. Originally recorded during the pandemic while artists were off the road and hungry to create, the session became an impromptu summit of Hill Country and regional blues talent, including Christone “KingFish” Ingram, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Sharde Thomas, Jontavious Willis, Cam Kimbrough, and more.
For G. Love, playing harmonica alongside R.L. that night was a dream realized, raw, soulful, and full of laughter. After releasing Philadelphia Mississippi, G. Love and producer Logan Tichnor revisited the tapes and uncovered a powerful idea: sampling and reimagining R.L.’s performances into a fresh, contemporary context.
Logan’s vision transformed the recordings into new tracks that fuse Hill Country Blues with modern grooves, capturing both R.L.’s spirit and the energy of the studio that night. Work on the project continued while R.L. was alive, but after his passing, it took on even deeper meaning.
Ode to R.L stands as both a celebration and continuation of R.L. Boyce’s legacy and a bridge between generations, honoring the roots while pushing the blues into the future.