St. Louis-Based Soul Café Returns With 'Step Aside,' Due Out 10/15

Led by guitarist/composer Ed "Mr. Ed" Starrett, the vibrant fusion ensemble known as Soul Café has been thrilling audiences in the St. Louis area for more than 20 years with their blend of complex jazz and funk, Latin accents and driving grooves. Now, with their new album Step Aside, the soulful six-piece band urges listeners to clear a path for their exhilarating, infectious sound.

Due out October 15, 2021 via Autumn Hill Records, Step Aside also serves as both reintroduction and rebirth for Starrett and Soul Café. It's the band's first album wholly composed of original material since their 2003 debut, Unspoken Request; the first studio session for the band's stellar current line-up, which has honed its sound over a dozen years together; and the first outing for the band following Starrett's nearly decade-long battle with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.