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ACL review: Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed and the True Loves
Eli “Paperboy” Reed clearly adores the icons of American soul: Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, James Brown. He loves them so much, in fact, that he seems to channel their spirits when he takes the stage and starts to sing. Never mind that he’s 24, from Massachusetts, too young to have known the masters in their prime. Close your eyes on a song like “Stake Your Claim” and you can almost trick yourself into believing that you’re listening to Wilson Pickett, circa 1969.
Reed ‘s rambunctious, horn-filled 21st century revival of classic American soul had a a lot of fans dancing in front of their seats in the WaMu Tent Saturday afternoon. But for the most part, the audience mood was one of respectful consideration as Reed and his crackerjack seven-piece band (the True Loves) skated their way through the hottest cuts from their promising debut album “Roll With You.” The set was happy, fun, grounded in love … but Reed didn’t drive the tent people into musical ecstacy, at least not in the way Cuban piano maestro Nachito Hererra did three hours later.
Reed, who came to soul through his father’s record collection, writes and arranges his own music - the kind of tunes Pickett or Redding might have written 40 years ago. There’s a strong Stax influence. Muscle Shoals, too. Reed’s voice - with its capacity for soul screams and howls and good-time power - serves him well on so many of the uptempo numbers that dominated his set. But the high point may have come on “It’s Easier,” a Sam Cooke-style ballad that showed off his penchant for tenderness. Reed is, after all, a wholesome presence on stage, all rosy cheeks and brylcream.
As the set wore on, I found myself wishing I could see Reed’s set in a smoky road house. There was a little too much light, a little too much distraction in the brightness of the tent. Reed did his part well - but the magic of the music might have worked better at “the midnight hour.”
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