Reigning Sound – Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY 8/28/14 (SHOW REVIEW)

Reigning Sound, the garage rockers from Memphis like to play NYC as often as they can and there was a good turnout for them in the Big Apple as the band played a show in support of their newest release Shattered.

The band’s new songs have a distinct soul feel to them, so having a gospel legend open things up was a natural fit. Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens who have recorded a few albums for Daptone brought their laid back groove gospel over from Brooklyn for this set. Tracks like “Sinner” were well received as Shelton strutted around the stage backed by the vocal Gospel Queens and a touring band that looked half of her age. Old, young, it didn’t matter as the sound from the stage was grand.

When the headliners took over the stage they opened with two tracks from Shattered, “North Cakalackey Girl” was trying to amp things up but the energy was simply not flowing off the bat. The band then brought out some string players (violin and cello) for “Never Coming Home” which added flair to the track in its live form. During the course of the night the group played almost the entire new disk but the standout from it was “My My” as the band seems comfortable with the new tunes even if most in the crowd have not warmed up to them yet.

Reigning Sound dug into it its past a bit more with “Reptile Style” that was slinky if not as raucous as other live offerings of the tune. Same can be said for “We Repel (Each Other)”, which had its volume and vigor muted a bit. The band seems content with its new-soul tinged direction but this band and Greg Cartwright in particular, have always moved between rock, punk, soul, R&B with ease and done so often. Reigning Sound were certainly on the more relaxed front on this night kicking off the easy going Labor Day Weekend in NYC.

 

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