J.S. Ondara - Tales Of America (2019) Hi Res

J.S. Ondara offers a unique take of the American dream on Tales of America, his debut album. Born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, J.S. fell in love with Bob Dylan and moved to Minneapolis Minnesota when he was 20 to pursue a career as a singer-songwriter. He notes other musical influences as Neil Young, Noah Gundersen, Damien Rice and Ray LaMontagne. His debut album, Tales of America, is an examination of the American Dream from an outsider's perspective; an introspection on a universal matter.

The completely acoustic album was produced by Grammy-nominated Mike Viola (Ryan Adams, Jenny Lewis) and was recorded at Boulevard Recording and East West Studios in Los Angeles. All lyrics were written by Ondara and the album features collaborations with artists including Andrew Bird, Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith of Dawes and Joey Ryan of The Milk Carton Kids. Pre-order Tales of America HERE.

After releasing “American Dream”, the first single from his upcoming debut album, J.S. Ondara was named an NPR Music Slingshot Artist. The Slingshot program is a collective effort among tastemaking NPR member stations to introduce exceptional up-and-coming artists. NPR Music explains he’s “singing songs about America through his unique perspective and stunning voice.” Additionally, Rolling Stone Country is featuring Ondara amongst their “Artists You Need To Know.” Brooklyn Vegan called it “...yet another example of J.S. Ondara’s knack for making powerful, gripping music that has an old soul but doesn’t sound outdated.”