We have seen no shortage of retro-tinged outfits, trying to recapture that late 60s soul in recent years. What separates the genuine bands from the tribute acts are those that use the musical palette as inspiration and transcend it. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings have arguably pulled off the balance successfully as have Perth’s Tame Impala with the garage rock aesthetic. Hard working Los Angeles six piece Fitz And The Tantrums inject their universal tales of broken hearts and social woes with earthy, uplifting instrumentation that is informed but not dictated by their influences. Along with the rock solid instrumentation, it’s the guttural voice of driving force Michael Fitzpatrick that puts the group over the top. These soulful cats have clearly been honing their craft and forging their chemistry on the live circuit before releasing Pickin’ Up The Pieces, their first studio album. The double whammy of the title track and lead single Moneygrabber are dripping in Motown style doo-wop. News 4 U forces Fitzpatrick to dig deeper, delivering his strongest vocal over harder-edged funk backing. At just 10 tracks deep, the album flows seamlessly from one cut to the other. Even when a lesser offering such as Rich Girls comes on it’s followed by ultra-catchy anthem Winds Of Change. Soul music is in good hands with bands like this laying down their thang.
Best Track: Winds Of Change
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In A Word: Stylish
