On August 19th, Rounder Records’ newly signed band Ten Shekel Shirt will be releasing their latest album titled Jubilee.

Lamont Hiebert, the lead singer and songwriter of Ten Shekel Shirt, describes himself as an artist and an abolitionist. As an artist, he’s a gifted singer, songwriter and bandleader who evokes comparisons from Snow Patrol to Coldplay to Peter Gabriel for his richly textured music, emotive singing and thoughtful lyrics and who’s already sold 150,000 copies of his first two albums. As an abolitionist, he’s a committed crusader who interrupted a successful musical career to co-found Love146, a non-profit organization dedicated to help end child slavery and exploitation. Not content to simply write songs about the issue or put on benefit concerts, he created a way to make an actual impact. Love146 quickly gained recognition for its work, earning the MySpace Impact Award for Social Justice, and being named an “Agent of Change” by GQ magazine. Lamont’s experiences as a modern day abolitionist are at the heart of many of the songs on Ten Shekel Shirt’s new album Jubilee, easily the strongest album in the band’s career. Though the album’s songs deal with weighty subject matter, Ten Shekel Shirt brings a strong message of hope throughout.

From the buoyant rock’n’roll of “Spark” to the delicate chamber folk of “Fragile”, the romantic awe of “En Garde” to the metallic buzz of “It’s Slavery”, Jubilee encompasses the full range of Ten Shekel Shirt’s heartfelt inspiration and musical artistry. And Jubilee is just the first step in Ten Shekel Shirt’s renaissance. As Hiebert says, “I enjoy the writing and recording process a lot but connecting with fans and creating an unforgettable atmosphere with them is where it’s at.”

Ten Shekel Shirt will be touring in support of Jubilee throughout 2008.

For more information, YMZ artist page.