PREMIERE: The Sh-Booms Turn Up Retro Soul with “Audible”

The Orlando band bring down-home R&B back to life.
PREMIERE: The Sh-Booms Turn Up Retro Soul with “Audible”

The Orlando band bring down-home R&B back to life.

Words: Timothy Brown

photo by James Hand

February 04, 2019

Like rock and roll, soul music will never die.

The sound of lock-tight bands laying down deep grooves for a bona fide singer to cut loose over is pretty much the basis of contemporary pop music. It’s a discipline The Sh-Booms know very well.

The Orlando outfit have been working on their soulful sound for most of this decade, with the party really kicking into gear around 2015 with the addition of singer Brenda Radney.

The band has been working it out onstage, warming up crowds for the likes of The Roots, Big Freedia, and Of Montreal. They developed something of a kinship with pop legends the B-52’s, who The Sh-Booms have toured with for the past two years.

With the 2016 Usage Fee EP already to the group’s credit, The Sh-Booms have revealed that March 22 will mark the arrival of their debut album, The Blurred Odyssey, on Limited Fanfare Records.

The first track from the album, “Audible,” is a throwback that features big, brassy horns blasting out a mournful melody while Radney spreads her sweet, syrupy vocals over the top. With echoes of Sharon King & the Dap-Kings, Amy Winehouse, and Alabama Shakes, The Sh-Booms’ down-home rock and soul is a most welcome sound in these turbulent times.

Experience “Audible” below.