2018 – KPB
By Phillip Smith;
Aug. 25, 2018
It puts a smile on my face each time I experience the
soulful energy of Believe, the debut
album from the Houston, Texas-based Keeshea Pratt Band. After one listen, it’s plain to see how they
took home the 1st place award for Best Band in the 2018 International
Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee earlier this year. Vocalist Keeshea Pratt fronts this band
comprised of guitarist Brian Sowell, drummer Nick Fishman, bassist/music
director Shawn Allen, trumpeter Misaki Nishidate, trumpeter James
Williams III, and saxophonist Dan Carpenter.
Pratt rolls
out a red carpet of Motown-inspired, slow-cooked soul in “Make it Good”.
Her vocals, drenched with pure honest emotion
nail every note amid the swirling sounds of keys and bursts of brass. The sweet sounds of the Mississippi delta take
hold in “Home to Mississippi” for some bodacious down-home blues. Greased with slide guitar and harmonica this
track drips with authenticity.
I’m captivated by the way “I Can’t Stop Now” slowly revs
up and masterfully takes off in a turbo-infused fury. Loaded with power vocals and searing guitar,
it absolutely gets the adrenalin pumping.
One of my favorite singers, the legendary late-great Sharon Jones
comes to mind, when listening to Pratt fabulously bring it on in the psych-soul
power funk track “Out of My Mind”. This magnificent
song grabs a Phillycheeze one-hundred percent approval rating.
Pratt’s delightful
voice has no boundaries as she takes the listener on a musical journey with this
remarkable record called Believe. This
album is highly recommended.
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