Lucy Fitzgerald 
“Tulsa”, the tenth track off The Blues Project’s new album Live 2025, lands with emotional weight and musical grit. Featuring singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mark Newman, this track doesn’t pull punches. It’s a chilling reflection on the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, handled with care and intention, carried by raw, bluesy guitar lines and grounded vocals that speak truth without overdramatizing.
Newman, known for his work alongside heavyweights like John Oates, Bobby Whitlock, and Sting, brings years of lived experience into every note. His voice and playing don’t aim to impress—they tell the story. Co-written with Walter Roberti, “Tulsa” isn’t a history lesson. It’s a warning, a reckoning, and a statement. The song’s backstory, paired with a powerful visual montage released alongside it, brings the past uncomfortably close to the present.
The Blues Project, led by original drummer Roy Blumenfeld, sounds rejuvenated. Live 2025 finds them deep in the pocket with flavors of funk, R&B, and New Orleans groove threaded through their signature blues-rock sound. It doesn’t feel like nostalgia. It feels alive. From my side, “Tulsa” hit differently than I expected. There’s something about the way the band lets the music breathe while the lyrics sink in that really stuck with me. It’s gripping, but not overwhelming. I’ve replayed it several times, and each listen lands a little harder.
If you haven’t checked it out yet, do yourself a favor. Add “Tulsa” to your playlist, sit with it, and let it speak. And while you’re at it, follow Mark Newman and The Blues Project to keep up with the rest of the Live 2025 album. There’s a lot of depth in this release, and “Tulsa” is a standout that deserves your full attention.
Listening to songs so you don’t have to! Just kidding :D, you totally should. Music blogger by day, nurse by night
