I won't lie to you, I went into this JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound show at The Waiting Room with a bit of trepidation. Outside of Daptone Records I'm very leery of hipster soul music, and for the record I don't think Daptone is hipster soul (soul for hipsters is more apropos), so I had some serious concerns, especially after Brother Josephus And The Love Revival Revolution. I got to the Bro Jo show at the Tralf late in December on the press list because I was keen to see what these Brooklyn soul scenesters were up to after previewing them, but the show was so derivative and devoid of life that up until now I've pretended that I wasn't there. Other than the lead female backing vocalist, nobody had it going on, reducing them to mildly soulful pantomime, and with the dinner theater seating arrangement I felt like I'd gone down a watered down 70's kitsch wormhole.
And then there was word that JC is an actor by training, and that he sports a wicked pompadour. Was I in for a night of empty showmanship, histrionics, and a singing haircut? If I wanted that I'd go to a fun. concert. These guys were walking a high wire with me because show really could've gone wrong in so many ways. Amazingly and brilliantly, the Uptown Sound eliminated my concerns in less than two songs. These guys are tight, and nary a note was wasted as they ably laid down a variety of soul styles for JC own, from traditional soul to Chicago blues, as well as Minneapolis soul, and the 80’s UK neo soul revival[c1] sounds of the Fine Young Cannibals. While it’s certainly true that he worked the spare crowd, it was Brooks’ range and expressive falsetto that won it over.
JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound didn’t mess around; Billy Bengeroth’s guitar fretwork was precise yet nice and greasy, the rhythm section of Ben Taylor and Kevin Marks was groovy and totally locked in, the keyboards of Andy Rosenstein were Bernie Worrellesque, and Brooks is thrilling to behold in action, stomping and testifying while mesmerizing his audience with that Otis Redding meets Terence Trent D’Arby falsetto. These chaps were the real deal, and there was nothing derivative or faux about any of it, not even their funky and sincere take on fellow Chicago band Wilco’s “I’m Trying To Break Your Heart.”
There was no shame on anybody's part Wednesday night, and it all came together rather nicely. Andy Veith’s acoustic opening set was focused, honest, and entertaining, the Uptown Sound was real, and I didn't have to pretend that I wasn't there afterward. In fact, I'll be there the next time JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound passes through Buffalo because there's something going on with that band. It was an energizing and bracing show with fire and real soul, and it made me feel good.
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