James Dupre entertained a crowd with the singing of songs from his new album Stoned to Death at the 2016 Boggy Bayou Festival in Pine Prairie. (Gazette photo by Elizabeth West)
The cover of the new album James Dupre titled ‘Stoned to Death.’ The album is available now.
By: ELIZABETH WEST
Associate Editor
Six years after putting out his first album It’s All Happening, James Dupre is continuing to make his music career happen with the release of his second album Stoned to Death, which is set for Friday, June 17th.
Dupre said, “This is the first piece of new music that I have put out in a long time, and so I am really excited for everyone to hear it.”
Dupre, who co-wrote seven of the 10 songs on his new album, began working on Stoned to Death two years ago, but then had to take a break from the album when he became a contestant on the hit NBC show The Voice. According to Dupre, being on the show gave him more drive to get back to work on finishing his album.
Dupre said, “Without the momentum I had coming off of the show I don’t think we would have produced the record so quickly. We knew we had a window of opportunity to get the record out there, so we immediately got to work on finishing Stoned to Death when the show ended.”
The Bayou Chicot native described his new album as one that has been influenced by the place he grew up.
Dupre said, “I use personal experiences sometimes like I’ll ask myself ‘what do I like to think about’, and that’s what I show in my music. For example, there’s a mention in one of the songs about the Lone Pine Loop that we use to go ride around on, and then there are also several things about my home, Louisiana, throughout the album.”
The hometown boy called the album, “dark and sexy, with shimmers of light throughout,”
“I’m a guy who really loves music and I love great lyrics. Lyrics that make people feel something,” said Dupre. “Even though it’s not all necessarily from personal experiences, the lyrics and music reflect who I am as an artist and my roots. This album does that in a way that I feel like people will be able to relate to.”
The 31-year-old country artist released a single from his new album titled Someday Today back in January, and then released a second single Stoned to Death last month. The feedback he has received has left him feeling confident about how the public will react to the other eight songs on his new CD.
Dupre said, “Since finishing the record, industry people have given it great reviews. I feel like we have a really great record and I am excited about that.”
The positive feedback keeps Dupre on the move working to get his music out there to be heard by the masses.
“We have been pushing to get my songs on the radio, and now Sirius XM Radio is playing Stoned to Death, which is exciting,” said Dupre. “Now we are getting ready to start making a music video.”
Dupre’s new album Stoned to Death can be pre-ordered on his website www.jamesdupre.com or on iTunes today for $1.00 cheaper than if you wait until the CD is officially released on Friday.
What makes Dupre excited about his album becoming available to all of his fans is the fact that for some people the songs will teach you something, and for others the lyrics will speak about things they understand.
Dupre said, “I have tried to make this album one that everyone can get something out of by having songs that allow people who are not from Louisiana to get a sense of what Louisiana is like, and also allow people from Louisiana to be reminded of something that is very familiar to them.”