Vitality is defined as the power to live or grow, and perseverance pertains to the qualities of moving forward when an obstacle stands in your way. The music of soul man Sonny Knight brims with these essential life traits because he exudes them.Along with his 7-piece powerhouse band, The Lakers, the 68 year-old retired truck driver has created a sound that extends much deeper than throwback soul.

After the band’s 2014 debut album, I’m Still Here, came to fruition quicker than anyone expected, Sonny Knight and The Laker’s released a live double album the following year. Since then they’ve been crisscrossing the globe bringing their hard-hitting sound to theaters, performing arts centers, festivals, and night clubs. Now, the band’s sophomore studio set, Sooner Or Later, explores themes of overcoming adversity, love found, love lost, and societal observation.

By focusing less on so-called groove makers and more on the songwriting process, Knight and company harnessed the power of the different genres that came together to shape what we have come to know as soul music over the last 50+ years. Gospel, country, and blues were all melded into a record that takes you on a journey through life’s questions and emotions via nine originals and a cover of Lonnie Mack’s “Why.”

Knight’s vast array of life experiences inform a worldview that give him a unique perspective on the song writing, expressive, and storytelling process. While he was enamored with gospel music during his youth, which eventually led him to recording his first single in 1965, he soon found himself exploring other opportunities. From a deployment in Vietnam to a job as a long haul trucker, that it hasn’t been a linear path has made him a more attuned performer. Combining this hard-earned experience with a vivacious band whose members are half his age, the songs and performances captured on Sooner Or Later are a perfect blending of observation, promise, and energy.

“New “old-school” soul music, it captures the singer sounding as vital as ever…a wonderful album.” –NPR’s World Café
“Sonny Knight is the goods with his vocal power.” – NPR’s Sound Opinions
“They are ferocious on stage.” – CBC
“A retro-soul blowout of epic proportions.” –Blurt Magazine
“A crackling soul and funk ensemble.” – WNYC
“The Lakers are a tight and relentless sonic machine.” – The Vinyl District