Sonia Dada
Author: James Kellogg
Peoples, peoples, peoples…if you are not yet hip to the band Sonia Dada, you need to grab an earful real soon. Their music is a blending of blues, soul, rock, R&B, jazz and gospel with a dash of New Orleans. These nine musicians were described by the Chicago Tribune as, "the microcosm of Chicago." To compare their impeccable harmonies to the Beatles, Sly and the Family Stone, the Temptations and the Beach Boys, is not hyperbole. In fact, when you're listening to some of their grooves, you feel like this music is the 21st century incarnation of Sly and the Family Stone. And this is not the drippy, commercial tripe spewed out by many bands today. No, this is cathartic music straight from the gut of life experienced on the streets of Chicago. For example, Daisy, from the Barefoot Soul album (2002), is about a stint in the nervous hospital. Las Vegas Virgin, off of My Secret Life (1998), describes how his former girlfriend broke down his door, took all his stuff and pawned some sentimental items to a drug gang. These gritty lyrics are balanced by melodies and harmonies that are so soulful they elicit unconscious toe tapping, finger snapping and eyes closed bobble heading.
The architect and driving force of Sonia Dada is Dan Pritzker. One of the two guitarists in the band, Dan writes all of their music and has produced every album. Shawn Christopher has the iconic female, black, gospel and blues voice, as evidenced on the songs, Baby Woke Up and Raise The Roofbeam from the Barefoot Soul album. Paris Delane adds the baritone voice to the harmony, and is featured on one of my favorite tunes, Phases of the Moon, a jazz-rock fusion song that appears on both studio and live versions. Michael Scott provides tenor vocals that range from soft and sensitive to raw and unhinged, sometimes spanning both extremes on the same song. For example, as your musical doctor, I prescribe that you medicate properly, turn up the volume and indulge in the live version of I'm Gone, a serious blues tune off the Lay Down and Love It (Live) album (1999). As an added dimension, the rhythm players are backed up by a full tilt horn section on many of the songs. To get a taste of this, stick with the live album and drop the needle on Lester's Methadone Clinic. Lester's gives the listener an adult dose of soul not experienced since James Brown performing in his prime.
As the gentle reader probably already knows, some bands are best experienced live instead of lounging on the couch with the cans on your ears. The Grateful Dead, Weather Report, Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, and again, Sly and the Family Stone come to mind. I think you could easily add Sonia Dada to this list. Regardless, this is a band that's flown under the radar for far too long. Check out the sample songs I've provided, and if you dig their music, please share it with your friends.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B68T37tZkKM Daisy: Barefoot Soul
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOwVZKrjz6s Baby Woke Up: Barefoot Soul
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0EfUbfanjo Raise the Roofbeam: Barefoot Soul
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Bg8v8MxusE Phases of the Moon: My Secret Life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPRu7E4_hIk Los Vegas Virgin: My Secret Life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRYV2Mi6h9c I'm Gone: Lay Down and Love It (Live)
© 2018 James Kellogg. All rights reserved.
Author: James Kellogg
Peoples, peoples, peoples…if you are not yet hip to the band Sonia Dada, you need to grab an earful real soon. Their music is a blending of blues, soul, rock, R&B, jazz and gospel with a dash of New Orleans. These nine musicians were described by the Chicago Tribune as, "the microcosm of Chicago." To compare their impeccable harmonies to the Beatles, Sly and the Family Stone, the Temptations and the Beach Boys, is not hyperbole. In fact, when you're listening to some of their grooves, you feel like this music is the 21st century incarnation of Sly and the Family Stone. And this is not the drippy, commercial tripe spewed out by many bands today. No, this is cathartic music straight from the gut of life experienced on the streets of Chicago. For example, Daisy, from the Barefoot Soul album (2002), is about a stint in the nervous hospital. Las Vegas Virgin, off of My Secret Life (1998), describes how his former girlfriend broke down his door, took all his stuff and pawned some sentimental items to a drug gang. These gritty lyrics are balanced by melodies and harmonies that are so soulful they elicit unconscious toe tapping, finger snapping and eyes closed bobble heading.
The architect and driving force of Sonia Dada is Dan Pritzker. One of the two guitarists in the band, Dan writes all of their music and has produced every album. Shawn Christopher has the iconic female, black, gospel and blues voice, as evidenced on the songs, Baby Woke Up and Raise The Roofbeam from the Barefoot Soul album. Paris Delane adds the baritone voice to the harmony, and is featured on one of my favorite tunes, Phases of the Moon, a jazz-rock fusion song that appears on both studio and live versions. Michael Scott provides tenor vocals that range from soft and sensitive to raw and unhinged, sometimes spanning both extremes on the same song. For example, as your musical doctor, I prescribe that you medicate properly, turn up the volume and indulge in the live version of I'm Gone, a serious blues tune off the Lay Down and Love It (Live) album (1999). As an added dimension, the rhythm players are backed up by a full tilt horn section on many of the songs. To get a taste of this, stick with the live album and drop the needle on Lester's Methadone Clinic. Lester's gives the listener an adult dose of soul not experienced since James Brown performing in his prime.
As the gentle reader probably already knows, some bands are best experienced live instead of lounging on the couch with the cans on your ears. The Grateful Dead, Weather Report, Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, and again, Sly and the Family Stone come to mind. I think you could easily add Sonia Dada to this list. Regardless, this is a band that's flown under the radar for far too long. Check out the sample songs I've provided, and if you dig their music, please share it with your friends.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B68T37tZkKM Daisy: Barefoot Soul
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOwVZKrjz6s Baby Woke Up: Barefoot Soul
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0EfUbfanjo Raise the Roofbeam: Barefoot Soul
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Bg8v8MxusE Phases of the Moon: My Secret Life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPRu7E4_hIk Los Vegas Virgin: My Secret Life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRYV2Mi6h9c I'm Gone: Lay Down and Love It (Live)
© 2018 James Kellogg. All rights reserved.