Jesus H. Christ! Here's a voice and a half that means the name of Eli 'Paperboy' Reed can be uttered in the same sentence as Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett and Sam Cook without fear of embarrassment. With his electrifying live act ("I rip a lot of pants."), he's on his own ‘mission from God’ to pick up the mantle of Jake and Elwood as flag bearer for the Stax/Chess/Motown legacy. There's been a lot of retro sounds around lately of course, from the ladies mainly, but this is so immediately authentic that, just as with the original soul classics, critical analysis really isn't relevant. It either mainlines to the gut and throws you around or it doesn't. Simple as.

Son of an academic and music critic, Eli soaked up the blues, gospel and R&B of his dad’s record collection. At 18 he moved from the Boston area to small town Mississippi to play local clubs and serve his time - hanging out with some Delta old timers and acquiring his nickname due to his baby-faced looks (plus his ‘Reed’ stage surname). University in Chicago led to more contact with the real McCoy, work as a keyboard player, and an eventual firm decision that his future lay in performing. The likes of Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings have the soul but never quite the original material for me, but Eli Reed scores almost every time with newly penned songs that sound like R&B standards. You know what you're going to get, but it does indeed 'get' you every time. Not much else needs to be said. Just listen to the tonsil twisting scream at the start of '(Doin' The) Boom Boom'. Anyone who can pull off a let’s-do-the-fill-in-the-blank-named-dance song in this day and age really must have been to the crossroads and done his deal with the devil. There’s plenty of "messing around with every man in town", some "midnight tears", a fair share of going "to get some next door" and a large dollop of "shake your hips" and "be my girl"-ing. But it all works.

Equally adept at lurching pleading blues or a James Brown style workout, the equally youthful seven piece True Loves hit all the right notes with tight rhythm section, bluesy guitar, and impeccably-placed horns. Eli has briefly courted the UK media with a couple of small solo spots a month ago and Nick Lowe is a fan (which is usually good enough for me). The Paperboy will be going the rounds here with the band in July. It's going to be passionate and sweaty. I'll be there faster than you can say "Land Of a 1000 Dances". I don’t know where he’s going or how long the journey will be, but I love where he’s at right now.

81% Links Eli "Paperboy" Reed & The True Loves [myspace]