Jesper Lindell had a mission and he saw it through. The Swedish singer-songwriter packed up his band The Brunnsvik Sounds in 2024 and made the pilgrimage across the Atlantic to record at 2 of American music’s most hallowed spaces: Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama and Royal Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. 4 days, 2 studios, and enough material for 2 albums. The first of those is ‘3614 Jackson Highway,’ out now via Yep Roc Records, and it’s a deeply felt tribute to the classic American songbook delivered with genuine reverence and real musical command.
Lead single “If Love Was Money” is a cover of a Dan Penn track discovered during the 3-day drive from Boston down to Alabama. “The closer we got to Alabama, the more I realized that I kept coming back to songs written or co-written by Dan Penn,” Lindell explains. He discovered Penn’s 1972 solo album on that drive and immediately felt the connection. “The last track, ‘If Love Was Money,’ felt 100% like something me and my band could really sink into. And we did, didn’t we?” The answer, on the evidence of the recording, is an emphatic yes.
The Muscle Shoals sessions came with their own drama. Flight delays cut the band’s planned 2 days in the studio down to a day and a half, but the compressed timeline produced something unexpected: a creative rush born from pent-up energy, jet lag, joy of playing, and genuine wonder at standing in the same room that hosted the Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Duane Allman, Paul Simon, Bob Seger, Willie Nelson, Rod Stewart, and so many more. Lindell is reflective about the decision to cover songs that already exist in iconic versions. “To dive deep into the material, to actually play and sing the songs instead of just listening to them, that was an invaluable experience for us, one we learned a lot from.”
Born and raised in Ludvika, Sweden, Lindell came up through local bars and rehearsal rooms developing a reverence for classic American songwriting and the warm, analog textures of the 60s and 70s. His breakout EP ‘Little Less Blue,’ recorded with members of First Aid Kit, revealed a strikingly emotive voice and a natural instinct for blending retro soul with contemporary Americana. Subsequent albums ‘Twilights’ and ‘Before the Sun’ cemented his reputation as a craftsman capable of turning personal stories into widescreen, roots-steeped soundscapes. ‘3614 Jackson Highway’ is the natural extension of that journey, an artist following his influences all the way to their source and coming back with something unmistakably his own.