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Jen Cray
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Curtis Harding at the Social
THIS LITTLE UNDERGROUND
Curtis Harding, The Social, Apr. 10
Alongside rising stars like
Son Little and Florida breakout
Benjamin Booker, Atlanta’s
Curtis Harding is one of the leading lights in the current class of bright young soul saviors. Without question, their lodestar is the school of soul that’s old and true. But rather than the glorious but strict revivalism of renaissance icons like
Sharon Jones and
Charles Bradley who brought due prestige and profile back to soul music, Harding et al are bringing a young man’s game to it, inching the form forward with taste, evolution and style.
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Jen Cray
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Curtis Harding at the Social
Not surprisingly, a common hallmark of these new soul visionaries is an
alternative background, and Harding’s no exception. His own pedigreed path has been marked by associations with
CeeLo Green and the
Black Lips (who'll be playing the Beacham with the Black Angels
next week), and his work has been released on indie darling labels like
Burger and
Anti Records.
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Jen Cray
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Curtis Harding at the Social
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Jen Cray
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Curtis Harding at the Social
As some of those affiliations would suggest, Harding’s take on soul can be more than a little garage-minded. Live, however, his band’s grooves were lusciously classic, though broadened by some rock kick and psych expansion. Like a great old soul record, the crack quintet were radiant from the jump. With deep guitars, beefy rhythm section and plush keys and sax, this is a unit built for sonorousness. But making it all smolder is Harding’s rich voice, an athletic balance of young vigor and sweet wear. The sum total is a thing of
velvet and muscle.
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Jen Cray
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Curtis Harding at the Social
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Jen Cray
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Curtis Harding at the Social
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Jen Cray
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Curtis Harding at the Social
In venue news, the
Social has remodeled its
main bar. It’s worthy of note not as an interior design measure but because of its size. The bar top area is now actually smaller. While the thought of a smaller bar should horrify anyone, this move doesn’t reduce any access to the good stuff. It just translates the square footage from tabletop into
standing room, which will pay dividends at the next sold-out show.
Follow Bao on Twitter (@baolehuu)
Email Bao: baolehuu@orlandoweekly.com