Eli "Paperboy" Reed & The True Loves

In the past couple of weeks, a few readers have been pointing me in the direction of Eli Reed and the True Loves, a Boston based soul band that are getting some well deserved attention. Reed, a 22 year old from Boston who discovered soul from his father’s Ray Charles box set has immersed himself in the music since boyhood and his music occurs as coming from a place of love, as opposed as an affectation. Perhaps that’s because instead of approaching soul strictly in a scholarly context, he’s actually physically immersed himself in the music, moving down to Clarksdale, Mississippi, in the heart of the Delta, at the age of 19, to get a hands on education in the R&B he loves. He only stayed down there for nine months, but got some incredible experience, and it shows.

The music succeeds to the extent that it does because of Reed has internalized the music, and it occurs as coming from the here and now, as opposed to an attempt to “revive” the music. Perhaps that’s because Reed is already smart enough to know that soul is not a music that needs reviving; for it’s adherents, soul music, no matter what the age, is an indispensable part of every day.

Reed & The True Loves are currently playing a September residency at Magnetic Field in Brooklyn.

Download: "(Am I Just) Fooling Myself"
Eli "Paperboy" Reed & The True Loves on MySpace