“He’s gonna make you shake, he’s gonna make you shiver… and you better believe that he always delivers!”
It’s not often I’m promised such wonderful things by an organ player in a pair of horn-rimmed glasses, so I’m expecting quite a performance from Boston neo-soulster Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed.
The snappily-attired Reed rushes to the Academy stage and instantly summons the spirit of Wilson Pickett with sleaze funk number ‘The Satisfier’. In one song, he’s already lived up to his ring announcer’s claim.
From the first blast of the True Loves’ horns to our frontman’s final, spirited crash to his knees, we’re treated to expertly-delivered soul and funk all the way. Alternating between long, wrenching laments and fiery vintage dance numbers, Reed spits smooth tales of hard-headed women and lonely nights on the road in a frankly flawless rasp.
The Paperboy’s only cover pays tribute to little known soul singer Frank Lynch, who passed away just as swinging love song ‘Young Girl’ was approaching hit status. Elsewhere, ‘Come And Get It’ plays out like an early Smokey Robinson hit, ‘Explosion’ is pure James Brown pomp, while sultry ballad ‘Just Like Me’ is padded out to a 10-minute hosanna with the help of the astonishing honks of Jerrell Clopton’s trumpet.
For the most part, the tunes are loose and breezy, but Reed pulls out more than his fair share of crotch-grabbing hallelujah! notes to keep the ladies (and, er… skinheads) in the front row swooning.
He’s a soul man, he’s a sex machine, he’ll put a spell on you; he’s just about every soul cliché in the book – but the one thing Papa doesn’t have (last one I swear…) is a brand new bag.
Reed’s a diligent student of the school of Stax and Motown, and does absolutely nothing to modernise proceedings, so those looking for a watered-down peek at the world of retrogressive soul should look elsewhere. Those of you whose heart belongs in a sweaty gin joint in Atlanta in 1965, however, with Otis on the jukebox and a Sweet Alice in your hand – this guy is your musical wet dream. Sure, he’s a copycat, but hot damn – this cat can swing!