Watch the brand new video for "For The Mighty Dollar" by Sola Rosa

Hot on the heels of the soulful June release, "Searching for Love", Sola Rosa follows up with the socially-conscious single "For The Mighty Dollar", a collaboration with UK singer, songwriter, producer and musical chameleon, Kevin Mark Trail. This is the second issue from the forthcoming Sola Rosa album, 'Chasing The Sun'.

Topically timeless, "For The Mighty Dollar" challenges the endless struggle between commerce and the common good. Long-time Sola Rosa collaborator, The Streets singer and regular visitor to NZ shores, Kevin Mark Trail elaborates on the message behind the track;

“Money has been placed as the most important thing in the world and the divide between the rich and poor is still very wide. Many governments and corporations are still corrupt. Inequality, sexism, racism and injustice continue to reign. The aim of the song is to get people to think about the life we are living. The Covid-19 pandemic has given us time to question our values and direction, personally and globally, but what do we want? Who are we? What do we need? Where is the love? Could we be living better with each other and the planet as a whole?”

Musically, "For The Mighty Dollar" is reminiscent of the iconic funk and soul classics that the 1960’s and 70’s are renowned for; solid beats, lush strings, bold horns, and powerhouse backing vocals wrapped around a soulful lead. Long term Basement Jaxx collaborator and one of the UK’s top soul singers, Sharlene Hector delivers the BV’s, while the Sola Rosa band featuring Peter Leupolu, Dixon Nacey, and Matt Short, session players Michal Martyniuk and Julien Dyne, and Spraggon himself build the foundations of the track. Mike Booth, Andrew Hall and Hadyn Godfrey contribute on horns, with strings courtesy of The Black Quartet.

Alongside the single, the accompanying music video, directed and edited by Elliot O’Donnell/Askew One, and shot by Gareth Moon, releases today. The visuals document the environmental and societal impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on Spraggon’s home town of Auckland City in New Zealand. The piece invites the viewer to question whether the opportunity to reconnect to a slower pace of life is something that should be preserved, or whether their comfort lies in a return to the normality of a commerce-driven life. Elliot O’Donnell, director of the clip explains the narrative;

“The scope of what could be created for this video evolved as we progressed through the various levels of lockdown. It’s a really significant time in the world right now, and so much has happened in the last three months. The theme of the song is particularly poignant, particularly in this moment. Ultimately all our systems are so interdependent and tightly bound to capitalism and I wanted to bring that sense of increasing anxiety into play - leaving the viewer to ask themselves, is this really what we want?”