Fantastic Negrito - "Highest Bidder (acoustic reimagined)"

Photo by Travis Shinn

Last year Fantastic Negrito released the excellent White Jesus Black Problems, and just last month he released an acoustic version of that album's "Oh Betty." Turns out that was just the start, as he just released an acoustic version of "Highest Bidder" and announced a full album of reworked acoustic versions of the songs from White Jesus Black Problems. The acoustic version keeps everything we loved from the original, just a step slower, more organic, and somehow more funky. It's a deeply personal song from Fantastic Negrito, and this new take on the song makes it even more so.

Fantastic Negrito says of his new single:

“If you want to take your mind, body and soul on a trip check out the reimagined recording of Highest Bidder through the lenses of my touring band. At the time, I was listening to a lot of African drum patterns, and that definitely influenced this song. I’m trying to convey what I see when I walk down the street here in Oakland.”

You can watch the video for the acoustic version of "Highest Bidder" below. Grandfather Courage is due out February 3 and can be pre-ordered here. For more on Fantastic Negrito, check out the artist's website.

Fantastic Negrito - "Highest Bidder"

Fantastic Negrito is just one of those artists that's doing something that feels very familiar but also completely unique and refreshing at the same time. No one is quite doing the whole blues/roots thing quite like he is, and his new single goes even further into his own sound. "Highest Bidder" is still a roots and blues song, no question about that. But it's an amped up version of blues with a ton of funk and soul thrown in, enough to almost overtake the blues base. Fantastic Negrito has this fabulous power to turn the most important social issues into a party song, and "Highest Bidder" does just that.

Fantastic Negrito says of the new song:

“At the time, I was listening to a lot of African drum patterns, and that definitely influenced this song. I was trying to create the feeling of Africa but filtered through America. I think Taj Mahal talked about the idea of the 'gods of Africa meeting the ghosts of Mississippi,' and that’s what I was trying to embody with this song.”

You can watch the video for "Highest Bidder" below. White Jesus Black Problems is due out June 3 and can be pre-ordered/pre-saved here. For more on Fantastic Negrito, check out the artist's website.