September 10 2008
Eli “Paperboy” Reed & The True Loves — Roll With You
posted by Steven Shaw at 4:26 pm
Eli “Paperboy” Reed & The True Loves Roll With You
This one has been on high rotate for a couple of months now. Eli “Paperboy” Reed and his band the True Loves are Boston-based purveyors of a southern soul sound that harks back to the 1960s and the sounds of Memphis and Muscle Shoals.
Reed, nicknamed “Paperboy” due to the newsboy hat he used to wear, is a true disciple of the southern soul sound. “The Satisfier” bears a resemblance to the boasting of Otis Redding’s “Hard To Handle”. “It’s Easier” has shades of the Bobby Womack-penned “I’m In Love”, a hit for Wilson Pickett. Songs like “Take My Love With You” point further back to Pickett’s period with vocal group The Falcons. And “Am I Just Fooling Myself” fits right in with the tearful side of Otis Redding, recalling his song “Chained and Bound”. Elsewhere you’ll find tracks that hint at the best hooks from Clarence Carter (“Am I Wasting My Time”), James Carr and even Sam Cooke.
Releasing an album like Roll With You certainly has some currency in what Rolling Stone refers to as the “Winehouse era”. There are quite a few acts specialising in vintage soul now, and already well-established artists are diving back into their record collections for arrangement and production inspiration.
But why does a blue-eyed soul boy get attention like this? Well it’s certainly well deserved attention — Reed’s vocals aren’t as strong as some of his heroes, but the attitude is there, and his high-pitched scream is just like an R&B shouter of old. He’s travelled the same road as his heroes, first moving to Clarksdale, Mississippi, at the age of 18, and later, moving to the South side of Chicago. While his upbringing may have been more privileged than his musical forebears, he’s certainly absorbed the history and the essence of the musical form.
No, what Eli “Paperboy” Reed really brings to the table is the live energy of the original three-button-suited soul generation. Backed by the True Loves, he delivers hot, sweaty, trouser ripping live sets — and on Roll With You, he captures that vibe perfectly.
Video: “Take My Love With You”, live at SXSW, 2007