The Lucky Losers – Arrival
The Lucky Losers – Arrival
Format: CD – Vinyl LP -Digital
Label: MoMojo Records
Release: 2025
Release date: November 7, 2025
Six-Time Independent Blues Award-winners The Lucky Losers arrive big-time with their new album, ‘Arrival’
Special guests on the album include guitarists Danny Caron and Kid Andersen (who also produced)
‘Arrival’ is The Lucky Losers’ sixth studio recording from the San Francisco–based group with producer and engineer Kid Andersen, who recently won a Grammy Award. The Lucky Losers, led by soulful vocalist Cathy Lemons and dazzling harmonica player and vocalist Phil Berkowitz, have been releasing high quality music now for a decade–most of it original, all of it with Andersen.
Of the 11 all-original songs on Arrival, five of them were conceived by Cathy Lemons (co-writers: Kid Andersen & Chris Burns); and five by Phil Berkowitz (co-writers: Danny Caron & Chris Burns). The last tune is a duet, “Ain’t the Marrying Kind,” co-written by Lemons and Berkowitz. From the humorous funk of the opening track, “S-C-A-M,” which is about–of course–being scammed, to the ironic, blues rocker, “Sunday Stroller,” the train is rolling down the track at a fast pace, making stops at many stations: deep country blues, gospel blues, uptown blues, funk, 1960s soul, R&B, and ‘70s rock. More song highlights are the traditional blues of “I Believe Her (Because I Am Her)”-a fiercely resilient commentary on the sexual abuse of young women penned by Lemons. The ‘70s-styled stunner is the romantic “Play It From the Heart,” which urges the listener to dare to love. A Mavis Staples-styled soul tune, “Pull on the Rope,” is political. The beautifully crafted “Sorry Brother,” modelled after Allen Toussaint’s “Hercules,” features Berkowitz’s brilliant, horn-like harmonica. There is even a Stax-styled ballad, “Don’t Let It Slip Away” (with horns arranged by Grammy winner Mike Rinta), which shows the full power of Lemons’ captivating voice through every bending note.
“Arrival is our breakthrough album, and the most personal music I’ve ever written,” says Cathy Lemons. “Out of the 11 tracks, I contributed five songs that pushed me to take real risks. For example, ‘I Believe Her (Because I Am Her)’ confronts childhood sexual abuse. The line, ‘I believe her, because I am her—who don’t believe me, my own mother,’ comes directly from my life. ‘Pig Iron Tough’ reflects on the ‘made-of-steel’ resilience it takes to survive touring. That song is rooted in my childhood when I moved 15 times before the age of 17; ‘got no friends, always new in town, until you move again.’
“Working with Kid Andersen is always transformative—he has a genius for shaping harmonies and bringing out the best in our voices. Phil Berkowitz soars on harmonica with his big, fat tone. We are not confined to someone else’s idea of what Blues and Soul is. Phil and I are pretty fearless on this album.”
“Looking back, I wasn’t supposed to be a musician,” adds Phil Berkowitz. “I grew up in a not so typically dysfunctional 60s/70s suburban household in New Jersey. My mother died when I was ten years old. I was sent off to camp for nine consecutive summers, diagnosed with ADD HD, long before the term became a household word, and sent to therapists. I guess the song ‘Misfit Kids’ comes straight from my life. ‘Sunday Stroller’ is probably my best work because people instantly respond to it. I am a rule breaker. But I really struggle to bring things together: ‘He never abides by the rules that decide what will fly, will never get off the ground…the world outside keeps spinning around and around and around.’ When I wrote these songs with Danny Caron and Chris Burns, these stories came so naturally. These songs are personal reflections and characters I created. Arrival has brought my songwriting full circle.”
Their last two releases from The Lucky Losers (Godless Land & Standin’ Pat) were on the Vizztone label. They have won six Independent Blues Awards, including “Artist of the Year” (Cathy Lemons /Godless Land) and “Song of the Year” (Godless Land), and “Blues Soul Band of the Year” in 2019 and 2021. Their songs have made the finals in two International Songwriting Competitions since 2018. They have a catalog of 69 published and recorded songs, of which 59 are originals.
And the band has toured rigorously, hitting 46 states in the US. With their new album, Arrival, you can almost hear the beat of the street. Their music is reminiscent of that “golden age” of late ‘60s and early ‘70s music, with two gifted lead singers that harmonize, plenty of virtuosic playing, and memorable lyrics. Sometimes political, sometimes personal, sometimes joyous, and sometimes desperate, Lemons and Berkowitz have created music that resonates with this moment.
By the end of this 47-minute creative exploration, there’s a feeling of satisfaction and completeness. The different stories expressed in each of the songs are, simply put, quite wonderful. The “Losers” are out of the box train and fearlessly untethered.
Website: https://www.theluckylosers.com/
Tracks:
01. S-C-A-M
02. Sunday Stroller
03. Pull on The Rope
04. Play It From the Heart
05. I Believe Her
06. Sorry Brother
07. My Father’s Son
08. Pig Iron Tough
09. Don’t Let It Slip Away
10. Misfit Kids
11. Ain’t The Marrying Kind