In a heartwarming fusion of funk, faith, and family… singer-songwriter, avant-funk bassist and experimental musician MonoNeon has released a deeply personal and love-filled new album titled Crusty Neon Missionary Baptist Church — a collaboration with none other than his grandmother, affectionately known as Grandma Liz.

The album is a collection of all-original songs written by MonoNeon specifically for his grandmother to sing with him as she navigates the challenges of dementia. Far more than just a musical project… this album is a testament to the healing and connecting power of music… a sonic love letter between grandson and grandmother.

The album also features the three hymns: “Bless The Lord, Oh My Soul”, Take Me To The Water” and “He’ll Understand And Say Well Done” — the latter of which Grandma Liz used to sing in church services. Hearing her revisit these sacred songs in her current state adds a moving layer of depth, turning familiar gospel into a poignant act of remembrance and worship.

Stream the album: HERE

One of the most touching and musically rich tracks on Crusty Neon Missionary Baptist Church is “FLY (don’t walk with the weight of the world)”, the very first song MonoNeon wrote for him and his Grandma Liz to sing together. Dripping with a new touch of Memphis southern-soul, the song sounds like it was pulled straight from a neon yellow vault at Malaco or Hi-Records — MonoNeon’s guitar playing sounds like he was cutting at Royal Studios in Memphis and his bassline moves with a hump in the South Memphis streets. At the heart of the song is a line that lingers long after it’s sung: “let’s fly to that beautiful sky, into the great unknown, that’s my home.” 

A standout track, “Carry My Love (That’s A Memory I’ll Take)”, MonoNeon is alone on this song singing about his grandmother’s dementia. It’s a tender, heartbreaking meditation on watching a loved one fade, delivered with his uncanny vulnerability.

Each track on Crusty Neon Missionary Baptist Church carries the unmistakable MonoNeon touch: deep Memphis spirited bass lines, soulful dissonance, and quirky songwriting. But at the center of it all is Grandma Liz’s voice — tender, weathered and full of a rare spirit and soul. Whether she’s singing fragments of hymns, riffing on family sayings, or simply singing her a** off, Grandma Liz’s frequency transforms the album into something sacred. 

The songs on this album doesn’t shy away from its imperfections. In fact, it leans right into them — intentionally “crusty”, as the title suggests. The lo-fi production, raw moments, occasional vocal slips, and intimate room noise all serve to ground the album in a specific, lived-in reality. It’s messy. It’s beautiful. It’s real! It’s some Memphis sh*t!

It’s not just an album — it’s a living memory, painted in funk and gospel, held together by love from MonoNeon and Grandma Liz.

Stream the album: HERE