2016 – Ruf Records
By Phillip Smith; Aug. 13, 2016
I really like the musical direction
Royal Southern Brotherhood is taking. Not straying too far from their bluesy roots,
the band continues to keep a fresh and funky sound as they roll out their fourth
fabulous album, The Royal Gospel. The RSB lineup this time around consists of singer/percussionist
extraordinaire Cyril Neville,
guitarists Bart Walker and Tyrone Vaughan, drummer Yonrico Scott, bassist Darrell Philips, and as guest on the B3,
Norman Ceasar. There must have been a lot of magic in the air
during the seven days of recording this album at the Dockside Studios in Louisiana. One can feel the connectivity and
kinship of the band imbedded in the music.
“Where There’s Smoke, There’s
Fire” opens with guitars blazing. Loaded
with badass heavy riffs and an intense bassline, this song is best heard loud. The slide guitar on the swampy blues ditty “Spirit
Man”, sounds downright great backed with the soul-filling sound of the B3. I love the trance-inducing rhythm in “Blood
Is Thicker Than Water”. Neville’s smooth vocals fit in quite
nicely. “Face of Love” is such a terrific
song too. It is quite beautifully sung and
performed. One of my favorite unexpected
surprises is when RSB breaks out the
funk in “Can’t Waste Time”. I can’t help
but be transported to the late Seventies, when I was first started jamming out
to Funkadelic.
The Royal Gospel closes out in full-on revival mode, urging folks to stand up for what
they believe in, with “Stand up” , a soulful tune served ala gospel style,
complete with lots of foot stomping and hand clapping. If this don’t get one moving, it’s likely
nothing will. This lineup of RSB works
really well, and I hope it stays in place for a while.
