There isn’t a whole lot of soul in music these days. I’m sure (or at least I hope…) most of these musicians are putting their mind into it. Hell, a lot of them are even putting their heart into it. But soul? I don’t hear a whole lot of soul goin’ on right now…
Then there is the Nth Power, a New Orleans supergroup consisting of Nikki Gillespie, Nigel Hall, Nick Cassarino, and Nate Edgar. A band with a sound so vintage, the only thing is missing was the static-y recording quality, but I’ll gladly leave that at the door.
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/88999276″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
As soon as they start, I’m overwhelmed with sounds of the past. Not in a nostalgic way, I’m only 21, but having grown up on so many different types of music I can’t help but to hear so many sounds of the past. The psychedelia of Santana and the soul of Marvin Gaye are the first comparisons I draw.
The band was warming up. Having just heard about these guys, my first impression was that this would be Nigel’s band. I was soon proven wrong. This is not the Nigel Hall band, the is the Nth Power.
Guitarist Nick Cassarino waisted no time belting in to a fire guitar solo in the first track, quickly taking the spotlight and showing me that this would be an even display of 4 (well, the percussionist would make it 5) musicians undeniable talent. He would share vocal duties with Nigel and Nikki all evening long as the trio of voices would prove they all can stand up tall next to each other.
Two songs in, the covers start busting out with “Across 110th Street” by Bobby Womack. They would later go on to play “Joy and Pain” by Frankie Beverley and Maze, Stevie Wonder and more. All of these songs were done justice by the extraordinary group of musicians in front of us.
The spotlight was evenly shared throughout the show, which was incredible to see with such a talented bunch. Everyone had their solos throughout the performance, even a dueling drum battle between Nikki Gillespie and the percussionist who was sitting in (I have since forgot his name, shoot us an e-mail if you have it).
The band went for nearly two hours, a generous set for a group who is so consumed with other projects. If you have the time, check out Nth Power. [soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/88998845″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
Comments