Soulive

No Place Like Soul

(Stax/Concord)

Jazz/funk/soul crew Soulive have featured numerous high-profile guests on previous albums, including John Scofield, Robert Randolph, Chaka Khan, and rappers Talib Kweli and Black Thought, among others. Formerly on Blue Note, they migrated to Concord in 2005 and are now the flagship act for the revived Stax Records, former home of soul legends such as Isaac Hayes, Sam and Dave, and Otis Redding.

This gives them a lot to live up to on their label debut, and luckily for their fervid fan base, they’ve met the challenge head on. Having become a quartet with the addition of full-time lead vocalist Toussaint, they’re deep in the groove on these 13 raw but radio- and casual-listener-friendly songs.

The lurching groove of “Comfort” provides an admirable showcase for organist Neal Evans, as his drumming brother Alan thwacks the beat home behind him. The group occasionally heads off on unwise tangents, like the jam-scene-friendly fake reggae of “If This World Was A Song,” “Callin’,” and “Morning Light,” but they redeem themselves handily with “Outrage,” a hard blues-funk instrumental that’s a superb showcase for guitarist Eric Krasno. The thick, molasses rhythm of “Yeah Yeah” is basically a four-minute argument for seeing Soulive in person, as it’s the kind of track that’ll drive a willing audience into an ass-shaking, hand-waving frenzy. And the album’s next-to-last track, the instrumental “Bubble,” makes them sound like an arena-rock version of Medeski, Martin & Wood. Though Toussaint never truly embarrasses himself, more instrumentals would be welcome, because these guys can really play, and play together, which is a rare thing. No Place Like Soul is ultimately a highly rewarding album for soul and funk freaks, barefoot jam-band fans – and pretty much anybody with a taste for groove.

- Phil Freeman