Josh Blake Releases New Album ‘Nothing’s In The Way’

Josh Blake, the unofficial musical mayor of Asheville, has unveiled a new studio album entitled Nothing’s In The Way. The 11-track LP features contributions from Marcus King, Billy Cardine, Debrissa McKinney, Aaron “Woody” Wood, Matt Williams and Marisa Blake, each of whom are friends that have circled Josh’s orbit over the years.

Blake is a member of the house band for Asheville Music Hall’s famed Tuesday Night Funk Jam and helped launch Granola Funk Express in the ’90s. More recently, he leads the Josh Blake Organ Trio, is the mastermind behind IamAVL and has long been an engineer at the iconic Echo Mountain Recording Studio, where he tracked Nothing’s In The Way.

Josh’s new LP compiles songs collected from decades of songwriting and collaboration and strips them down to their core. Here’s what Blake had to say about the decision to go unplugged:

“Although I’m mostly found performing as a funk guitarist, I’ve been writing singer-songwriter style songs since I was a kid. Stepping out of my comfort zone slightly, this album represents an aspect of my musicality that usually doesn’t leave my living room. There are just so many facets and styles of music that one can express themselves with, and I never really felt like it served my art for me to be one dimensional as a musician. This all-acoustic album is a testament to that fact.”

Marcus King adds pedal steel to “Prohibition Song” and “Time Warp.” King dusts off his electric guitar for “Here Comes The Fool” and “Prohibition Song.” Listen to the full album below:

Nothing’s In The Way Tracklist

1. Nothing’s In The Way
2. When I’m With You
3. Here Comes The Fool
4. Pinwheels
5. Prohibition Song
6. Big Trucker
7. Tizzy McDoogal
8. Rasta Box
9. Undertow
10. Time Warp
11. Prohibition Song (Radio Edit)