“The Spirit Blues,” the new 13-track album from Vincent Projects, doesn’t announce itself with fanfare. It settles in quietly, then refuses to leave. At just over 40 minutes, it’s a striking blend of vintage blues, hip-hop, folk, and soul, all shaped by a producer who knows how to marry human feeling with the possibilities of artificial intelligence.
Vincent Projects is a Filipino American producer and multi-genre experimentalist who grew up listening to his grandfather’s vinyl collection. Those records from the 1950s and 60s were rare finds, and they left a mark. If you grew up around that kind of music, you know it wasn’t just sound. It was texture. Cracks, breath, spirit. Vincent wanted to capture that same energy, but filtered through the tools and sensibilities of today.
The album draws from classic blues, hip-hop, folk, and country. It honors the soulful core of American roots music while pushing it forward with Vincent’s creative use of AI in production. The result feels both familiar and unexpected, warm and futuristic at once.
The opening track, “Three Nails in My Coat Pocket,” sets the tone. Blues structures meet hip-hop rhythms, wrapped in clean, modern production. It’s a careful balance: raw emotion held together by sharp craftsmanship. “My Shadow Wears Her Smile” follows with mellow guitars and smoky harmonies, showcasing Vincent’s lyrical tenderness. The guitar melodies here are hypnotic, blending bluesy, folksy, and country influences. The production is sleek, managing the tension between hip-hop cadence and the other instrumental layers with remarkable precision. “The Porch Light Lied Again” goes deeper, with haunting textures and a cinematic narrative weight.
One of the album’s highlights is “Preacher Man Never Showed Up,” a track that evokes the soulful tension of a film like Michael B. Jordan’s “Sinners.” Throughout the record, Vincent channels the spirit of artists like Michael Ray Roach, Morgan Wallen, Lil Nas X, and Teddy Swims, carving out a sound that feels like part blues sermon, part electronic prayer.
Vincent cites two unexpected influences. One is the documentary “Crumb,” which showed an artist’s deep connection to old blues records. The other is the eerie soundtrack of “The Skeleton Key” (2005). “When I saw Crumb listening to that old record, hugging himself in silence, I realized what the blues really was,” Vincent says. “Then I heard Johnny Farmer’s ‘Death Letter’ in ‘The Skeleton Key.’ That haunting blend of old blues and urban trap gave me goosebumps. With today’s AI tools, I knew I could reimagine that mood and make it my own.”
Critics and fans are already calling “The Spirit Blues” a landmark achievement. It’s the kind of record that would score in the 90s on Rotten Tomatoes if it were a film: sophisticated, emotional, endlessly replayable. From the depths of the blues to the pulse of modern production, the album is a fearless act of artistic evolution.
Vincent Projects has built a bridge between eras, from the warmth of analog tape to the precision of AI-generated soundscapes. Across that bridge walks the spirit of the blues, reimagined for a new generation.
With this release, Vincent Projects establishes himself as one of the most exciting, genre-defying voices in independent music today. “The Spirit Blues” is available now on all major streaming platforms.
