Legendary producer and musician Nile Rodgers is finally back with a new album from his band CHIC. While the group has certainly been active playing shows and festivals over the last few years, it’s been a minute since anyone’s heard a full album of new material. That all changes today with the formal announcement of It’s About Time, with album art and a firm release date of September 7. The album will be released by Virgin EMI. It was hinted at by Rodgers back in 2016, although with a release date in the year 2017 that obviously didn’t happen.
In addition to the new album announcement, Rodgers and company performed a new song on “Later… With Jools Holland” – a track called “Boogie All Night.” It features NAO and Mura Masa, mixing Rodgers’s old-school knowledge with some up-and-coming pop music talent. The song is predictably funky, with NAO adding some sweet, chanting vocals that give it a bit of a disco feel. Meanwhile, Mura Masa’s Alex Crossan adds some staccato funk guitar to the mix. All in all, it’s a promising return from the legendary funk group. On June 22, the first official single from the album, “Till The World Falls” will be released. That song features Mura Masa as well as rappers Anderson .Paak, Vic Mensa and singer Cosha.
The cover is a tribute to the band’s 1977 cover for CHIC, their debut LP. That cover featured models Valentine Monnier and Alva Chinn with whistles in their mouths, a bit confusing but certainly evocative cover to introduce CHIC to the world. The new album mimicks that cover, albeit with a few flourishes that give it a modern touch. V Magazine has a behind the scenes exclusive of the photo shoot to “recreate” the album cover for It’s About Time.
Nile Rodgers & Chic were in the news today for another reason, having been announced as a performer at OctFest 2018. The band will play on the second day of the festival, which takes place on Governor’s Island in New York City on September 8th and 9th. The festival is presented by October magazine and Pitchfork.
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