“Soul Message”

By Rissi Palmer

Sometimes two people need a breakthrough to hear one another, and this sweetly alluring song is about connecting and listening with your heart.

Rissi’s romantic song was inspired by a spat back early in her marriage and some wise advice from her grandmother. It’s one of eight tracks on her most recent album, “Revival.” Threaded with themes of regeneration, identity and loss, its other songs include the passionate “Seeds” (about racial injustice) and “Ghost” (a tribute to her late mother).

Raised in a musical family that enjoyed both country and R&B, Rissi was a part of a singing and dancing troupe sponsored by a local television station at age 16. This multifaceted singer-songwriter first gained national attention as an American country music artist who charted song videos such as “Country Girl.”

Highlights throughout her musical career includes performances at the Lincoln Center and the Grand Ole Opry and she continues to host “Color Me Country,” a radio show she launched on Apple Music. Although you can hear hints of back-porch country in “Revival,” the album has a decidedly more R&B and pop sound that once again showcases this Durham-based musician’s versatility.