(July 2, 2021) Alan Evans has created some of the funkiest and grittiest soul and soul jazz music of the last two decades as a member of the band Soulive. Much of their output stands as an homage to the kind of soul jazz music that artists like Gene Harris put out in the 1960s. Soulive is best known as an instrumental trio that included drummer Evans, keyboardist Neal Evans, guitarist Eric Krasno and many collaborators on horn. However, the group often works with vocalists, and projects like 2007s No Place Like Soul included vocal and instrumental selections.
(July 2, 2021) Alan Evans has created some of the funkiest and grittiest soul and soul jazz music of the last two decades as a member of the band Soulive. Much of their output stands as an homage to the kind of soul jazz music that artists like Gene Harris put out in the 1960s. Soulive is best known as an instrumental trio that included drummer Evans, keyboardist Neal Evans, guitarist Eric Krasno and many collaborators on horn. However, the group often works with vocalists, and projects like 2007s No Place Like Soul included vocal and instrumental selections.
Evans has his hand in another project as he fronts a band called Crushed Velvet & the Velveteers. That band is rooted firmly in the classic soul sounds of the 1970s and the new project, Love & Truth, has Evans sitting in the drummer’s chair, as well as playing guitar and bass for a group of powerhouse vocalists. The songs “As Far as We Know,” with Brother GoodLove on vocals and “Good Thang,” with Kim Dawson on vocals, have already been released. Now the band drops the timely “Say Their Names, Be the Change” with Lyle Divinsky giving an impassioned vocal performance on a song calls on us to get involved in the quest of freedom while also calling on them to strive to be the best version of ourselves.
“Say Their Names, Be the Change,” is a call for action that is urgent, powerful while not sacrificing any of the percussive and pounding funkiness that makes you want to get up and do something. Check it out here.
By Howard Dukes
Crushed Velvet & The Velveteers
"Say Their Names, Be The Change"