JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound
NewMusicForOldFolks says …
Like many bands, JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound make their money performing live. Studio recordings provide new material and, hopefully, pay for themselves. As a result Brooks and his crew haven't made a studio album since 2013's Howl but continue to be play live shows. A new album, Neon Jungle, is promised fall of 2016. In the meantime, the Chicago-based band will tour Europe. Give Howl a listen. Brooks' singing and lyrics are passionate Soul ala Otis Redding and the band is as tight an outfit as you'll hear. All that touring will do that for you.
Artist's Info
Website: jcbrooksandtheuptownsound.com
See them live: Tour dates
Record company: Bloodshot Records
Genre: Soul
If you like this, look into: Sonia Dada, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, St. Paul & The Broken Bones
Bio (From the record company's webpage)
In a 1970 Playboy Interview, Ray Charles described soul as “people who do things from the heart.” In performance and on record, it is undeniable that JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound are 100 percent soul and are fond of getting crowds twisting and writhing on the floor, something that’s been sorely missing from live music. What does post-punk soul look like? Six and a half feet of raw emotion and sweat, with one leather boot planted in gutsy R&B, the other in taut minimalist grind. Snarling at the crowd beneath an afro pompadour, while indulging in a sly wink, singing to you directly, and here to make you dance. What does post-punk soul look like? It looks like JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound. (more)
Spotify sampler
Recordings
Most Recent
HOWL (2013): Throughout Howl, the dark side of love and longing is explored by frontman JC Brooks's starkly personal lyrics and the Uptown Sound's willingness to bare all their influences and let the grooves fall where they may. A collective evolution has been made where influence meets experience, and this organic progression results in 11 songs that are more open than ever both in message and vibe.
Others
Beat Of Our Own Drum (2009)
Want More (2011)