Tinsley Ellis has released the official video for “Sweet Ice Tea,” one of the standout tracks from his recent album Labor Of Love.
The record, released on January 30, marks Ellis’ second acoustic album following 2024’s Naked Truth, which received a Blues Music Awards nomination. Unlike its predecessor, Labor Of Love features entirely original material.
“Sweet Ice Tea” is built around a raw hill country blues groove and reflects Ellis’ long-standing love of traditional acoustic blues. The video was directed by filmmaker Tony Bieser, who also worked on Ellis’ previous videos for “Too Broke” and “Hoodoo Woman.”
Ellis describes the song as a light-hearted tribute to one of life’s simplest pleasures.
“‘Sweet Ice Tea’ is a hill country blues stomper with a plaintive shout-out to the love of my life – soul food,” he says. “We hope it makes the listener hungry for more songs from my new Labor Of Love album.”
Since its release, Labor Of Love has received widespread attention across blues and roots media, including coverage from Vintage Guitar, Relix and AllMusic. The album also reached number one on the NACC Blues Chart and The Big Blues Radio Chart.
The record finds Ellis performing 13 original songs in an acoustic setting, drawing on decades of experience on the road and influences ranging from Muddy Waters to B.B. King and Howlin’ Wolf.
Ellis is currently touring the United States on his solo “Two Guitars And A Car” tour, where the stripped-back format allows him to focus on the raw emotion and storytelling at the heart of acoustic blues.
“For me, just playing this music is a labor of love,” Ellis says. “I got into the blues because of Muddy Waters, B.B. King and Howlin’ Wolf. If I could make a living playing this music, I felt I’d be successful.”
After more than four decades performing, Ellis has already done far more than that. As Premier Guitar put it, he remains “one of modern blues’ greatest performers.”
