SPARTANBURG, SC — Spartanburg-born R&B and soul artist T Staggs announces the release of his new album, Southern Soul Era, Vol 2, out now on all digital platforms. Produced by Days on 85 and T Staggs, it is a record that moves — between gospel warmth and sensual slow burns, between raucous James Brown energy and profound meditations on sending love to people who would rather see you fall. In a world at war with itself, T Staggs has made an album about feeling good. That is not a small thing. That is the whole point.
“The goal from the start with this album was to create relatable content,” he says, “and I think I nailed it.”
He did.
Southern Soul Era, Vol 2 opens with “Fight For You” — instantly classic-sounding, smooth, relentless, and head over heels in love. It has everything an addictive R&B song is supposed to have: a melody that hooks you before the first verse is finished, a feeling of complete emotional surrender, and lyrics that speak directly to anyone who has ever needed someone so badly they would do anything for them. It is the kind of song that sounds like it has always existed.
“Hey Hater” shifts the temperature entirely. Downtempo, organ-driven, and steeped in gospel vibration, it is one of the most profound tracks on the album — a meditation on sending love, grace, and light even to those who wish to tear you down. That kind of radical positivity is not naive. Coming from T Staggs, it is hard-earned.
“Step With Me” dials up the sensuality — a lovers’ jam built for dimmed lights and slow movement, full of the kind of heat that never overstates itself.
“That Feeling” throws the tempo into overdrive, landing squarely in raucous James Brown territory — joyful, physical, and impossible to sit still to. Fans of Bobby Womack, Al Green, Luther Vandross, and Curtis Mayfield will find themselves right at home across the album’s eight tracks, which serve as nothing less than a celebration of life and self-love from an artist who has earned both.
T Staggs was born and raised in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and from early childhood the church was where his voice found its first home. The spirit and positivity that flow through Southern Soul Era, Vol 2 are not affectations — they are the direct inheritance of a life built in community, in faith, and in the belief that music is meant to lift people up.
As a young adult he became known as The Wedding Singer — a title that says everything about the role his voice has always played in people’s most important moments. He married his wife Desiree in 2002 and has four children and two grandchildren. His number one fan is his two-year-old granddaughter, who already knows and sings every one of his songs. That image — a two-year-old singing along to her grandfather’s album — is as good a description of what T Staggs is reaching for as anything else.
He lives by one phrase: “I aspire to inspire.” It is not a slogan. It is a daily practice.
Humility and self-belief run as constants through Southern Soul Era, Vol 2 — alongside the swagger, the groove, and the infectious, generous spirit of an artist who simply wants to make people feel good for as long as he possibly can.