Following the breakout success of their eponymous debut album,
Thee Sacred Souls
cemented their following by touring across Europe and the United States numerous times, offering their brand of rootsy retro and Latin soul to growing audiences. Their NPR Tiny Desk Concert brought praise for nearly a year on social media. During their road sojourn, they matured as a unit and developed into one of the tightest trios in pop or R&B. This sojourn across the continents occurred as the band's individual members were dealing with family issues, heartbreak, economic tensions, etc.
Got a Story to Tell
offers 12 original songs that expand the outfit's emotional and musical reach. Rather than follow the current pop standard where each album ultimately becomes a diary entry in her/his career,
offer a more relatable approach to songwriting influenced by the
Motown
and Brill Building traditions. The three founding members -- singer
Josh Lane
, drummer
Alex Garcia
, and bassist
Sal Samano
-- are joined by guitarist
Shay Stulz
, pianist/keyboardist
Riley Dunn
, and backing vocalists
Viane Escobar
and
Astyn Turrentine
. Producer
Bosco Mann
(
Gabriel Roth
) hired strings and horns to adorn various cuts.
Opening track and single "Lucid Girl" is pro-feminist anthem wedding polished soul and retro pop. Written by
Lane
, it reflects a woman whose self-esteem lifted her persona and spirit above her environment, with lushly layered strings, entwined backing vocals above a sensual melody, three-part harmonies, and
's silky-smooth delivery. "Price I'll Pay" is a midtempo soul bubbler with an infectious delivery in
's glorious tenor buoyed by fingerpicked electric guitars, entwined backing vocals, and the rhythm section's insistent yet unobtrusive groove. Just these two tracks offer listeners placement in an unfolding narrative that may not be linear but gets the meaning across. The elegant strings and hand drumming in "On My Mind" are underscored by guitars and lush backing vocals that recall Philadelphia's
Delfonics
, in a personal manifesto on growth. The bumping, lithely funky "Live for You" descends in a direct evolutionary line from
Marvin Gaye
's "Mercy Mercy Me," with sparse strings hovering in the backdrop, rumbling bass, and snare breaks as
rises above the mix to offer commitment, empathy, compassion, and inspiration to listeners in his convicted yet joyous vocal. "My Heart Is Drowning" melds polished
soul-pop and rocksteady reggae in a startling mix that juxtaposes
's soaring falsetto with his backing chorus in a plea for love and understanding. It's the album's finest track. In sum,
is a masterpiece of growth, musical integration, and unvarnished emotional truth. ~ Thom Jurek