Americana: The Muscle Shoals Sound

I hadn't heard of the Americana video series or VBS.tv before watching this, but Muscle Shoals always catches my eye. Some of my favorite artists recorded there, including one of my favorite songs of all time, Wilson Pickett's version of "Hey Jude" with Duane Allman as lead session guitarist. Not to push it too far, but I think that song captures the magic of Muscle Shoals. There is a point late in the song where Pickett's soaring soul scream intertwines with Allman's slide guitar as they wail up into the Heavens. It is a transcendent moment, and completely eclipses the original version. Anyway, check out the video and definitely go listen to that song again.

Eli "Paperboy" Reed @ Lola's Room

Mr. Reed is a showman. And his band kicks ass. He croons, he screams, and his banter is rehearsed and friendly. The crowd was sparse, but the band came to play and put on a show. They were raw, they were rough, and they sounded great. Their music filled the room and more than made up for the lack of audience. I could feel the horns' vibrations in my beer. Over the course of the set, I heard in his voice a number of soul stars that I love but never got to see live because I was born too late, including a little Otis Redding, a little Wilson Picket, and a whole lot of Joe Tex. But he also reminded me of some of the other lesser known southern soul singers like James Carr and Arthur Alexander, emotive southern singers coming out of Muscle Shoals. His voice is gritty and warm and he nails the deep and scratchy scream. I can just imagine him running the Chitlin' circuit, working the crowd until they are sweaty and tired from dancing. This was one of those concerts that seals the deal, moving me from a casual appreciator to a fan. I'd go see him again live in a heartbeat. I can only imagine what he'd do with a full house.

Eli "Paperboy" Reed - Roll With You (2008)

Unlike the artists off Daptone Records, Eli "Paperboy" Reed sings straight up 60's, pre-funk soul. The backing band is solid - I love the horn section - but its the vocals that make it worth your time. He has a nice gritty voice - emotive and passionate enough to recall heyday STAX or Atlantic Records. It's clear he's done his homework. The music successfully captures that authentic/retro sound and the songs are consistently good to great. The lyrics keep it simple, focused on love, relationships, boasts, and dances. "Stake Your Claim" kicks off the album with plenty of Solomon Burke-like attitude and well-timed horn bursts. "I'm Gonna Getcha" reminds me a bit of Joe Tex's preacher style rap. On "(Doin' The) Boom Boom" he let's out his best Wilson Pickett scream. If you dig the retro soul sound, you have to check out this album.