Sierra Green & The Giants – Here We Are
Soul music isn’t as prevalent now as it was in the ’60s but one thing’s certain — singers like Sierra Green keep the genre from needing CPR. This is dynamic stuff. The emphasis is on bristling rhythms, punctuating horns & the energetic vocals of Ms. Green breathe new life into a vintage genre. She has a Tina Turner mix with Patti Labelle power & tunes like “Can You Get To That” aim accurately for the hips, butt & feet.
With 10 delicious danceable tunes channeled through Here We Are (Drops June 21/Big Radio & Righteous Path Records/38:29) including a Sly & the Family Stone-like funk-charging “Come To Mamma.” The debut was produced by J.D. Simo (guitar) & David Torkanowsky (organ/piano) & recorded in Nashville & New Orleans.
Sierra Green brings a fiery jambalaya into her stirring soul-stew melodies. Even though you can hear that she can showboat ala LaBelle she seldom does. She relies on her vocal feel, her impeccable intonation & range. She lets words curl through her lips before releasing them on their hot notes & sending them out like birds.
With all the influences Sierra would have musically in that neck of the woods, she found room to emerge with originality & undefinable beauty of her own. Her soulful contemporary voice emits a sensibility that bites down hard into mainstream associations. With a cover of The Meter’s “Break In the Road,” Sierra powerhouses easily, vocally in a Genya Ravan & Ten Wheel Drive style (“Morning Much Better”). The horns are smooth toots drenched in an Allen Toussaint tradition. Superb performance.
With this type of music, a singer could over-emote or showboat on some choice notes but Sierra understands the subtleness & mood of each tune. She has her show-stopping tunes, but few are overcooked. She allows songs to simmer once she brings them to a boil. This is truly a gourmet blend of an old genre. “He Called Me Baby,” with its Mary Wells (“My Guy”) delectable vocalizing is effective & succinct. A more aggressive Steve Cropper-oriented lead guitar would have fleshed this out even more but, it’s superb, nonetheless.
“Get Low Down,” is closer to R&B roots, the juke joint moonshine blues, slinky & tight. Whereas “Same Old Blues,” has the intonation of blues legend Bessie Smith. Raw, expressive, soaked in gin rickeys & pass the hat.
Highlights – “Can You Get To That,” “Come To Mamma,” “Break In the Road,” “Dreams,” “He Called Me Baby,” “Get Low Down” & “Same Old Blues.”
Musicians – Paul Provosty & Joe McMahan (guitars), Miguel Perez & Ted Pecchio (bass), Adam Abrashoff & William West (drums), David Ludman (sax), Maurice Cade (trombone), Brandon Nater & Emmanuel Echem (trumpets), Robbie Crowell (tenor sax).
Images courtesy of Sierra’s website. CD @ https://sierragreenandthegiants.com/