Carmen Rodgers steps back into the solo spotlight with the release of her latest project, the highly anticipated EP Hello Human, Vol. 1. After working and touring extensively with The Foreign Exchange and Zo! over the past six years since her last release Stargazer, Carmen refocuses on herself on this new EP where she explores the human experience with her "heart music."
Hello Human, Vol. 1 is executive produced by Rodgers, who also wrote every song on the six-track project and released it on her Candigirl Music label. This isn't a one-woman show, though. Accompanying Carmen on this musical journey are producers Nicolay, Deonis "Pumah" Cook and JRJ Musiq who all contribute productions that allow her vocals and lyrics to shine.
The first track that greets the listener when they press play is "Beauty," a brief yet beautiful interlude filled with positive affirmations that sets the tone for the rest of the project. On "No Good," getting kicked to the curb never sounded so good as Carmen lets a suitor down nice and easy. She needs him to know that she's not the one and that she's doing him a favor. For her next track, Carmen is going through some "Changes," but a new love pulled her through. She follows that with "Catching Feelings" where she tries to make sense of her feelings and teeters between being cautious and throwing caution to the wind. "Again And Again," the sultry single that served as our introduction to the EP, comes next and finds her fully wrapped up in love. "Say So" ends the collection on an edgy rock n' soul note with an introspective and uplifting message for the listener, bringing Hello Human, Vol. 1 full circle.
"With Hello Human, I want to journey musically with listeners through the human experience," Carmen shared with us about the project. "Our attempts at love, whether successful or a fumble, how we lean into intimacy and sensuality, facing change, coping with regret, and finding ways to grow and heal. It's my human experience as well. It's my walk just as much as it is anyone who connects to it."
You can hear Carmen Rodgers' heart and soul fully on Hello Human, Vol. 1 over the course of its very relatable six tracks. Thankfully this isn't the last that we'll hear from her this year. She plans to release the follow-up Hello Human, Vol. 2 this fall, and her music will be heard on multiple major TV and film projects in the coming months. We're excited for Carmen's future but reveling in her here and now. Enjoy SoulBounce's exclusive world premiere of Hello Human, Vol. 1 below and pre-order the collection on Bandcamp.
