Showing posts with label Misaki Nishidate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Misaki Nishidate. Show all posts

Saturday, August 25, 2018

#349 : Keeshea Pratt Band - Believe



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.        
     

---