Dec.
9, 2017
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
By Phillip Smith; Dec. 10,
2017
From Memphis, Tennessee, Southern Avenue is one of the newest
bands to record for the iconic Stax
Records label. Saturday, December 9th,
this magnificent quintet brought their illustrious brand of soul to a packed
house at CSPS in Cedar Rapids amid their
seemingly non-stop tour to promote their remarkable self-titled record. Fronted by powerhouse lead singer Tierinii Jackson, the band also consists
of her sister Tikyra Jackson on
drums, guitarist Ori Naftaly,
bassist Gage Markey, and keyboardist
extraordinaire Jeremy Powell.
Southern Avenue
served up two delicious sets of music, covering mostly songs off their new
album. The soulful sweet vocals Tierinii delivers on “What Did I Do”
was so right-on. Her vocals on “It’s Gonna
Be Alright” were angelic, and the keyboard performance from Powell was captivating. I was so happy to hear them perform “Don’t
Give Up”. That’s such a terrific song. It’s what drew me to the band in the first place
this past spring.
Their fabulous and funky take
on the Beatles’ “Come Together”
caught me entirely by surprise. Naftaly’s guitar was smokin’. It was a special treat to hear their covers
of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition”,
and Bill Withers’ “Use Me” too They were both soul-dripping performances. I
loved every bit of it.
Southern Avenue
ranks right up there among my favorite new bands this year, and I sure hope to
see them again soon.
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* All Photos by Phillip Smith
