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Laura Reed & Deep Pocket - Press Article
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Concert Review: Laura Reed and Deep Pocket
May 26, 2007
I don't even know where to start with Laura Reed and Deep Pocket, except to say that if they come to your town, you should go see them.
I arrived at The Pour House Music Hall in Raleigh at around eleven o¹clock and Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes were about halfway through their set. There was a brief pause between sets as the band set up, and when Laura Reed and Deep Pocket did come on stage there was a feeling in the room the bar had just been raised.
Laura Reed plays with a five-piece band that includes guitars, keys, bass, drums and a DJ. She herself periodically through the set played acoustic guitar and harmonica, and let's not forget that amazing set of pipes she carries within her person. She was joined occasionally by who I think are the sax players from The Dirty Notes.
They played a seventeen or eighteen song set [I can't exactly remember, because they kept adding song after song at the end, to the crowd's delight] that included a variety of musical styles from funk, soul, hip-hop, r & b, blues and even a few hints and allusions to reggae. They started off strong, with the supremely funky "Rise
Up," followed by a slower jam "Forces at Play" that Ms. Reed also played guitar on. Other highlights of the show were "Omm Lei Lei," a song about her native home of South Africa, and "Train" a bluesy, soulful sashay where Laura educated the crowd in the proper use of the harmonica.
Of course, the highlight of the show was Laura Reed and her absolutely amazing voice. She has incredible range, versatility, and a tone thick enough and soulful enough to do great justice to her obvious influences such as Lauren Hill, Erykah Badu [whose song "Back in the Day (Puff)" she covered in the fourth song of the set] and legends like Aretha Franklin.
Laura and the Band all seemed to be really enjoying the music and the
performance, which makes all the difference between a good and a bad show. It was obvious that she really felt what she was doing, dancing along with the funky rhythms and driving beats. There was great crowd interaction. For example, "Predictable," a song they just wrote the night before was debuted at the show, and she really wanted to know what we thought. Several times we were invited to come on stage and dance or play instruments if we knew how, however only one person had the courage to come and dance [hint: it wasn't me], along with the Sax player from Dirty Notes.
Throughout the night, Laura had been drinking from a maroon thermos, and there was great speculation among the crowd as to its contents. Was it Liquor? Was it espresso? Was it peyote? When asked, she shot back that there was prize in it for whoever guessed what was inside. [When I briefly spoke with her after the show, she told me that it was Tea, and that she had been sick recently]
I lost count of how many "last songs" there were as Laura Reed and Deep Pocket seemed to be eager to please an extremely receptive crowd. On the actual last song she asked us, "Do we want something fast, or slow," and the overwhelming response: fast! So the show ended with adrenaline, dancing, and an excited crowd.
Afterwards I spoke with Laura briefly, complimenting her on her amazing voice, and asking for the set list. She was incredibly gracious and gave me the list, autographed even! Unfortunately there is no album currently for sale, but she said that they would be coming out with an album and a live album sometime this summer. You can hear her music on her Myspace, and the band's website here. However, I have to say that the recordings just don't do Laura Reed and Deep Pocket justice. If you really want to hear this incredible talent, go see them live!
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