Captain Kirk Douglas Unveils His New Solo Album New Unknown

Longtime guitarist for The Roots, Captain Kirk Douglas, releases his second full-length solo album New Unknown under the artist name Hundred Watt Heart.

Recorded over the course of the pandemic in his Long Island childhood home, New Unknown captures both the uncharted territory Kirk enters as a soloist and the unforeseeable impact of the pandemic on our society at large. The album's focal track, "Land of Look Beyond," is a psychedelia-tinged devotional to mother nature and the importance of returning to one's roots. In the song's chorus, he reflects, "Time has flown // All that's been experienced Has caused us to bloom."

"New Unknown is a sonic culmination of many steps taken during a time when most avenues in our collective lives were closed," Kirk says of the album. "Each step involved taking action by reaching into myself or reaching out to another human being and every outcome inspired me to take another action and then another. The result is a creation of organic rock music delivered with power and grace. It brought me a lot of joy and I want to share that with whoever it may resonate with."

New Unknown captures Kirk's introspective spirit and highlights his powerful presence as a frontman in his own right. Previously released singles, like "We Can Be One," featuring a simmering beat and boisterous horn section, received tremendous praise. American Songwriter called the single "soul-shaking," while WXPN raved "we can be assured [the album is] something to look forward to."

Meanwhile, the rock-forward single, "Over The Ocean," was called a "terrific display of Douglas's riff-writing talent" by Guitar World. Similarly, his latest meditative release, "Breathe In," was championed by mxdwn which called it a "track full of introspection."

Audiences worldwide recognize "Captain" Kirk Douglas's scorching singular style as a six-string powerhouse. Joining The Roots back in 2003, he has supplied guitar and background vocals for a series of critically acclaimed Top 10 albums on the Billboard Top 200, including The Tipping Point [2004], Game Theory [2006], Rising Down [2008], How I Got Over [2010], and Wake Up! [2010] with John Legend.

The latter garnered a pair of GRAMMY® Awards, namely "Best R&B Album" and "Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance" for "Hang On In There." In addition, his guitar powered The Roots' tastemaker-approved ...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin in 2014. Between countless sold-out live shows, he holds down guitar duties for the band nightly on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

He also notably forces with Gibson Guitars to release his own signature SG model. Inciting widespread applause, Guitar Player has celebrated Kirk's "blazing fretboard work," and American Songwriter noted, "His wild, bending solos careen off the staccato, precise drum fills from the group's leader and drummer, Questlove." Recorded at Electric Ladyland Studios, he dropped his debut Turbulent Times under the moniker Hundred Watt Heart. Of the latter, Rolling Stone applauded his "melodies that range from contemplative, blues-tipped and soulful to raw and raucous."

Listen to the new album here:

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