Everywhere You Go (Eli "Paperboy" Reed & The True Loves/The Sweet Divines, Union Hall, 2/16/08)

Eli Reed (myspace) has a voice that could pop corn.

Or bake a whole potato.  Eli "Paperboy" Reed's voice could season, stuff, roast, and carve a whole turkey, pour gravy over it, divvy up the leftovers, do the dishes, send you on your way.  Eli Reed has a voice that might quadruple your laundry bill, in ways both exciting and embarrassing.

Eli "Paperboy" Reed & The True Loves - Take My Love with You (mp3)

So this is sort of the shit, right here.

There's some dimension - hope it ain't the one I'm in - where stuff like this does not get to pass Go, does not get its $200, goes straight to weddings and mitzvahs.  There's a legit worry that if so much of your sound's come from having listened to Live at the Harlem Square Club and Live at the Whisky a Go Go and Live at the Apollo over and over, then that ain't living, that's Memorex, you're a tribute act.  There's a shifty line between doing things because that's the way they've been done before and doing things because that's just how they should be, between shtick and showmanship.  And more often than not Reed and his True Loves wind up on the right side of it.

I'm sure it's tempting, when faced with some Boston boy who looks like a young Beau Bridges and belts like this, to build bios begging for legitimacy (time spent in Clarksdale, Mississippi, elbows rubbed with revered Chess-men).  But:  Whatever.

I'm not going to worry too hard about how that voice got in there; I'm just gonna find some way to be around when it gets out.

The band could be a smidge tighter, the whole thing could probably use a little more finesse, but they're definitely not stiff or scared.  They have songs!  Their first all-original full-length comes out April 29th (on Q Division?), and it will hopefully include both a version of the song above - which got a shout-out from Nick Lowe - and the tune it was b/w on a now o.o.p. 45,  "Am I Just Fooling Myself" (streaming on their myspace).  Those're scorchers.  They'll crisp your bacon while Reed's voice works at getting your eggs over easy and your toast buttered.

Reed & The True Loves will be at SXSW, then spending the first leg of their "first real national tour" as unlikely support to Say Anything and Manchester Orchestra.  Parents, drop your kids off early.

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It's a pretty good world when Miss Sharon Jones can hop on a stage for one third of a song and make a room go kerblooey.  Not that Sharon Jones can't normally make a room the size of Union Hall's basement go kerblooey; the night before this show, she probably made the whole Beacon Theater go kerblooey.  But Jones didn't even have to open her mouth before buzzbuzzbuzzbam.  Just had to be there.  Star time.

She joined The Sweet Divines (myspace) for a tiny bit, and her appearance wasn't a huge surprise - two of the Divines sang back-up for her at the Beacon, one was one her last record, and a Daptone rep was handling between-set DJ duties.  But it was a nice one, and a convenient measuring stick.

The Divines are one of a pair of ex-Dansettes femme-fronted funk-soul groups (the other being Nouvellas).  Its four singers (only one a former Dansette), simultaneously displayed different vocal tones, attitudes (over-serious to seriously saucy), and heights (two of the girls are a full head shorter than the other two).  There were some rough patches and there are some identity issues, perhaps, but they'll be fine.  When Jones joined in, though - I'm not sure if it was during "Natural Born Lover" or not (I think the Divines did "My Man is a Mean Man," too) - she was great, not fine.

Also there:  Music Snobbery, who has the setlists and lots of pics.

Bag of Songs caught Reed's Philly performance Thursday night.

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Next Sunday, Magnetic Field hosts the debut performance from The Lost Crusaders, a gospellish side project from Jon Spencer (Blues Explosion), Keith Streng (Fleshtones), Laura Cantrell, "and many more" (there are about ten billion members listed on their myspace).  I gather they're non-denominational, but it's a shame they've scheduled themselves up against a golden god.  (Tickets are here.)

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Also at SXSW:  O'Death, who'll be heading down after recording album #2. 

Post-SX they tour tour tour.  First a few dates with Langhorne Slim, then a stretch with Murder by Death.

America, go hoot and holler a bunch.  (And guys, less time between songs.  Thanks.)

Next announced New York gig will be Bowery Ballroom, April 4th (tix).  Though I wouldn't be shocked if they squeezed something in before Austin.

Dates, tunes on their myspace.

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OMG:  Mystery Where the Wild Things Are clip!

tags: eli paperboy reed  sweet divines  concert reviews  

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