Local Spins spotlights the Grand Rapids singer with a new album that was eight years in the making, plus debuts tracks by a host of other Michigan artists.
Molly: ‘I hope that this album reminds people that they should still be empowered to use their voice and still work toward their dreams.’ (Courtesy Photo)
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Molly has a lot to say – and much of it comes out in her music.
So the ever-soulful Grand Rapids singer and songwriter’s much-anticipated, new full-length studio album covers a lot of territory in hopes that it “inspires people to find that self-expression and inner love that can reverberate out into the world.”
“I think that the title of the album, the title track, ‘Soul Feels Free,’ represents being a total liberated person and realizing that some things can’t be stripped away,” she said of the expansive, 15-song LP released this week.
“It’s really personal to me, not just as a creative, but as a human being to be reminded that the part of that is inextricably myself, it’s not about capitalism. It’s not about likes or streams. It’s about who I am as a human, and expressing myself is something that I get to do that no one else gets to dictate.”
Eight years in the making, the tracks were recorded at Tommy Schichtel’s all-analog Goon Lagoon recording studio in Grand Rapids – a long favored setting for music created by Molly and her multi-instrumentalist husband, Scott Schultz.
The New Album: ‘Soul Feels Free’
“Recording to tape really means that you have to be in the moment,” Molly said. “It’s not about going back and nitpicking every little vocal take or every little guitar lick. It’s really about being present and capturing the magic that’s happening between the individuals on that day. … And working with Tommy is always special.”
Added Schultz: “It’s hard to describe to people in 2026 what it’s really like to work on something without a computer, but there is not a computer at the Goon Lagoon and it is a huge benefit because you’re not distracted. You’ve got your amps, you’ve got your guitars, you’ve got your instruments in front of you, you’ve got only so many options and you’ve just got to trust the process and trust your ears.
“And then when you hear playback, it’s so just worth all the effort going into the pre-planning. And then little mistakes or little artifacts, I like to call them, that get captured on the tape, you start to fall in love with them because it’s not something a hundred percent planned. There’s little things that you’re going to notice on repeat listens that are just captured on the tape and it adds that intrigue.”
There’s plenty of musical intrigue on “Soul Feels Free,” from finding healing, joy and unconditional love on “Heart So Full” to the serious political and troubling societal implications of “The Mine (A Congolese Lament),” that closes out the album.
“Music is a powerful tool because it can be political, but it’s really more human,” Molly suggested. “‘The Mine’ is discussing some really heavy topics, but I’m able to invite the listener to see the humanity and see a child in the Congo being forced to mine for gold. That’s still happening today to power our phones.
“I think humanity is calling for us to find higher ground and fight for each other’s rights, especially for those who are marginalized, who don’t have a platform or the privilege, or aren’t being heard. … I hope that this album reminds people that they should still be empowered to use their voice and still work toward their dreams.”
A ‘FLOWING, MOODY ALBUM EXPLORING MY ROLE IN THE WORLD’
In a way, recording in a non-digital environment strikes a blow against AI (artificial intelligence) as well, something about which Molly has strong opinions.
“We have AI and it’s kind of destroying music as we know it,” she said. “I hope in my lifetime I can live to see that there are new laws and regulations against stealing people’s musical identity, specifically people’s voices.
“We’re seeing a lot of digital blackface with people’s faces and voices being used to create fake artists (who) people like myself have to now compete with on these platforms. I think it’s completely unethical.”
Although Molly released an EP in 2019 and has dropped several singles since, “Soul Feels Free” represents her full-length debut. She said the new album is “the result of eight years of dedication, lived experience and personal growth” – a “flowing, moody album exploring my role in the world, my African ancestry and place within the diaspora, interpersonal relationships, becoming a mother, inter-generational traumas, confronting global challenges and questioning the world in which we find ourselves.”
More Live Shows to Come: Molly performing at Wheatland Music Festival in September. (Photo/Anna Sink)
Multi-instrumentalists Schultz and Schichtel, guitarist Mike Savina and drummer David Ward joined Molly in the studio, with the project edited and sequenced by Glenn Brown and mastered by Jim Diamond.
“There’s a lot of heart and heartbeats in the record that symbolize that shared rhythm and experience of longing for an inner freedom, truth and authenticity that can reverberate outwardly and eternally,” she said.
“I have found my voice to be far more dynamic, while in a position to fully guide and curate the pace and feeling of those vocal takes, which felt very creatively expansive.”
Inspired by the likes of Minnie Ripperton, Nina Simone, Prince, Sly Stone and other icons, Molly views her songs as “soul music, not because of the confines of a genre, but in the interconnectedness I feel as an artist to those who have come before me that create with the express purpose of moving the listener’s soul. Tommy likes to call it future soul.”
Molly said she’s holding off on live performances for now to give listeners a chance “to dive into this record in the cozy spaces of their homes this winter and spring. Then we’ll come out of hibernation and give some great performances that I’ll be sure to promote and announce.”
She also plans to continue writing and recording in the future, with hopes of reaching “a more global audience as a touring and recording artists. I look forward to more epic collaborations, teaching, learning and exploration of my voice, as well as incorporating more instruments and languages along the way.”
For this week’s edition of the Local Spins Michigan Music Showcase, Molly spotlighted two tracks from the new album: “Heart So Full” and “Flame.”
The show also features tracks by other Michigan artists: FlyLiteGemini, Kyle Joe, Two Dollar Bills, High Strung Steel, Hot Girls, Micah Dailey-White, Red Arrow Highway, Jack M. Senff & The Heartland Mission, Medicinal Groove and Jo LaRue. Listen to the interview and full radio podcast below.
The Michigan Music Showcase airs at 11 a.m. Fridays and 5 p.m. Sundays on WYCE (88.1 FM) and online at wyce.org, and on Interlochen Public Radio at 7 p.m. Saturdays. Check out previous show podcasts online here.
PODCAST: Local Spins Michigan Music Showcase (11/13/26)
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