One of the most exciting voices in contemporary soul? Without a doubt, Curtis Harding. With his fourth album Departures & Arrivals: Adventures of Captain Curt, he raises the bar even higher.
What began as a personal feeling of being on the road too often and missing home grew into a fully developed concept story about a pilot who gets lost in space. But make no mistake: this is no gimmick. Harding uses that sci-fi framework to tell something deeply human—about love across distance, about hope when you can’t see it anymore, about finding strength in chaos.
He took complete control of the recording process in the studio of Adrian Quesada (Black Pumas). No compromises, no filter. The result? A lush mix of space-funk, strings, psychedelic rock, and classic soul. Think grand arrangements (thanks to Steve Hackman), but also that unmistakable Harding touch. From the romantic opener “There She Goes” to “Hard As Stone,” this is Harding at his most ambitious.
