Imagine a soul band playing CBGB’s and you’ll have a sense of the Prayer’s sound. The Brooklyn-based group serves up a potent blend of soul and hard rock that will get you dancing until you collapse from exhaustion.
Opener “I Like It†sets the tone with a smoldering intro that builds into an angst-ridden beat. “I like it but I don’t like you,†wails singer Tim Adams like a man possessed before the guitars kick in with a sonic blast. This is a band intent on taking no prisoners.
The band’s soulful side steps out on the subsequent “I’ll Never Let You Go†and “I’m in Love Again.†The former jumps like a juiced-up Wilson Pickett track while the latter simmers with an electric piano-infused groove.
It only gets better from there. The horn-led “No Sex†is a furious dance-hall classic. “Good Voodoo,†is turbo-charged with an intensity that would have impressed even James Brown.
But don’t just take my word for it. Soul legend Solomon Burke invited the band into the studio to produce them performing a version of his classic “Goodbye Baby†that was featured on their last album. This latest release was produced by none other than garage and pop rocker Steve Wynn.
Are the Teenage Prayers a rock band that brims with soul or a soul band with garage rock tendencies? With music this good, does it really matter?
Audio Download: Good Voodoo [audio:http://audio.sxsw.com/2008/mp3/The_Teenage_Prayers-Good_Voodoo.mp3]
[source: SXSW]
About the author: Mild-mannered corporate executive by day, excitable Twangville denizen by night.