Lil' Red & The Rooster's latest full-length release, 7 is a deeply satisfying journey that feels both rooted in tradition and daring enough to stretch beyond it. Blues, gospel, and soul fold into each other with grace across the album, and the whole thing pulses not just with nostalgia, but with lived experience.

From the opening track Wild's Rising, there's an aura of uplift: sweeping harmonies, an almost hymnal quality in the backing vocals. On guitar, Pascal Fouquet acts as a transatlantic translator, his playing a seamless dialogue between continents. He draws on the raw, soulful phrasing of American blues, bending notes with a voice-like cry, then tempers it with the sophistication and lyrical finesse of Parisian swing. It sets the tone for an album concerned not just with sound, but with t h e emotional labour of perseverance.

Standout cuts like Stack ‘Em Up Baby with Bobby Floyd on keys demonstrate the band's ability to slow things down without losing momentum. A sultry, slow-burn blues number, it's textured with vintage swagger and modern intimacy there's a simmering tension in every note.

Throughout the album, Lil' Red & The Rooster confronts hardship and transformation; they explore what it means to be free in spirit even when the worldly chains persist. Is This Heart Taken is a particular highlight with Jennifer Milligan's vocals whimsical and alluring. Production-wise, the album is warm and rich without ever being overproduced. Instrumentation feels organic, nothing feels superfluous. Vocals are front and centre when they need to be; the backing arrangements support without crowding. Colin Campbell - Blues Matters Magazine

Lil’ Red & The Rooster is the explosive meeting of American artist Jennifer “Lil’ Red” Milligan and French guitarist Pascal Fouquet. Together, they embody a vibrant, elegant, and deeply human blues—rooted in tradition yet boldly forward-looking. Since their first encounter in the legendary underground clubs of Paris in 2010, they’ve been touring stages around the world, carried by rare musical chemistry and contagious energy.

Pascal Fouquet, nicknamed The Rooster, is a master of European blues. His guitar playing—both delicate and powerful—draws from the genre’s roots, from B.B. King to T-Bone Walker, while asserting a unique signature of his own. With more than forty years of career behind him, he has played alongside the greats and established himself as an essential reference.

By his side, Lil’ Red lights up the stage. A singer, actress, and dancer trained in the United States, she brings a theatrical touch and rare expressiveness to the blues. Her voice—sometimes tender, sometimes roaring—tells stories of life, love, and resilience. Inspired by the great ladies of jazz and gospel, she infuses every performance with a moving intensity.

Their music, which they describe as Retro Modern Blues, is a masterful blend of swing, soul, and groove. Whether performing as a duo or with their full band, they deliver a show that is generous, funny, emotional, and always sincere.

Finalists at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in 2019, they have won over audiences with albums acclaimed by critics. With 7, their new release, Lil’ Red & The Rooster make a bold, jubilant return, where the blues is dressed in retro textures and a resolutely modern energy. The first single, Stack 'Em Up Baby, sets the tone with an explosive cocktail of groove, soul, and cinematic jazz, evoking Rickie Lee Jones, Tom Waits, and Ray Charles in the mood of a 1960s spy series.

The track is elevated by the refined playing of keyboardist Bobby Floyd (Ray Charles, Count Basie Orchestra), whose B3 organ and piano lines add gospel depth and rare elegance. The result is at once sensual, funky, and deeply rooted in the blues, while flirting with pop-jazz and vintage swing.

And the rest of the album holds its own, with gems like Is This Heart Taken, Midnight On The Rocks, and Mr. Saboteur (aka Do The Donut)—each song crafted like a small revolution, a way of rising again with flair and humor. By playing with tradition, the duo bends the rules and reinvents them with dazzling class—and we’re all the better for it!

Lil’ Red & The Rooster, aka Jennifer "Lil' Red" Milligan and Pascal Fouquet, have been making music together for more than a decade, carving out a space where traditional blues meets sly jazz swing, gospel uplift and retro soul warmth. 

On 7 they’ve gone deeper than ever into that blend, producing a record that is like a crossroads where continents, genres and life stories meet. 

The story of 7 begins with a simple idea. Fouquet had written a jazzy instrumental, already hearing in his mind the rolling churchy sound of Bobby Floyd’s B3 organ. 

When the Grammy nominated pianist and organist, whose credits range from Ray Charles to Dr. John to the Count Basie Orchestra, said yes, the creative floodgates opened. 

Lil’ Red dug through Fouquet’s “compos” and picked five more with the same atmosphere. She added a sequel to B.B. King’s “Going Home” and two covers close to her heart, “Same Old Blues” and “Why Don’t You Do Right,” which would be released as singles. They also co-wrote “Is This Heart Taken” with Grammy winner Terry Abrahamson, who called the song “my first venture into the Blues as a David Lynch movie subgenre … from the first juicy, jumpin’ jolt of Lil’ Red & The Rooster’s music, I was in love.”

But making 7 wasn’t all smooth sailing. The duo had recorded their previous albums with Chicago engineer Blaise Barton at JoyRide Studios. 

Early in the process Barton fell ill and later passed away. “It was devastating because Blaise really saw and heard me on a soul child to soul child level,” Milligan has said. 

That loss forced them to relocate the sessions to Vaughn Music Studio in Columbus, where they linked up with engineer Matt Hagberg. The shift deepened the Ohio connection and allowed them to bring in more local legends: guitarist Colin John, percussionist The Governor, gospel vocalists Bobbi Townes (Floyd’s daughter), Quan Howell and Kara Brooks, along with young Lauren Tucker whose “old-soul” tone would later feature on a duet of “Why Don’t You Do Right.”

Through it all the album remained anchored in themes of personal freedom and self-empowerment. Milligan has explained that 7 steps away from overt politics and “leans into the personal … to heal the individual as the foundation for a more accepting and respectful world.”

That intention comes through in the performances, which were tracked live in the studio to capture genuine communication and groove. You can hear it in the gospel-drenched optimism of the opener “Wild’s Rising,” in the smoky late night jazz of “Stack ’Em Up Baby,” and in the sultry blues funk of “Is This Heart Taken.” 

“Melancholy Mood” begins with a gorgeously restrained guitar introduction from Fouquet, giving way to Floyd’s rolling organ lines while the instrumental “Midnight on the Rocks” becomes a showcase for conversational interplay between guitar and keys. Milligan’s phrasing is at its most delicate on “Between the Lines,” and the whimsical “Mr. Saboteur (aka Do the Donut)” rides a Latin tinged rhythm into a cheeky tale of temptation. The record closes with a torchy version of Freddie King’s “Same Old Blues” that honors the original while reshaping it with Milligan’s heartfelt interpretation and Fouquet’s mood perfect guitar.

That mixture of joy and loss also marked Milligan’s personal life while making the record. Midway through the project her father, Fritz Milligan, passed away suddenly while she was on tour in France. She chose to dedicate the final show of the tour to him, a performance she later called “the most challenging and strangely beautiful of my life … it was like he was bouncing around in the stage lights loving every minute of it.”

That sense of resilience runs through 7, making it not just a collection of songs but a testament to the power of collaboration and music as a healing force. 

The album’s presentation matches its ambition. Spanish illustrator Koldo Barroso, who designed their earlier album Keep On! and their logo, returned for the artwork. Photography is by Bobbi Townes, and Milligan herself handled the design. Released waterfall style on streaming platforms, with physical CDs available at shows and through their label, Lil’ Red Records, 7 represents not only a creative leap but also a business one, as Milligan steps further into the indie-label world with an eye toward amplifying other voices in the roots and soul space.

The result is a record that truly feels alive. Because it was tracked live, you can sense the musicians nudging each other higher, the choir leaning in, the rhythm section breathing. 

Lil’ Red & The Rooster may still be an under-the-radar name in the blues world, but with 7 they’ve made a gorgeous and generous album that deserves to be heard.