The general consensus amongst nostalgia-centered adults is that today’s music is simply “not the same” as it was in the supposed 60s-90s prime. The industry’s incentive structure was simpler, the themes were more uplifting, lyrics were authentic, and cocaine was much more readily available. In a rather unfortunate commentary on the state of modern music affairs, an entire economy of production has been built on formulaically duplicating this “feeling,” often to no avail beyond a social media bubble. Thus, this nostalgic narrative is kept alive, and generations are divided back to their cliques. It’s always been my belief that this narrative is reductive, and that much of the best music of today is simply hidden within moderate obscurity. Performing their latest tour stop in one of Houston’s flagship Live Nation venues, Thee Sacred Souls have broken the sound barriers to prove one thing: real music is not dead.
Led by singer Josh Lane, Thee Sacred Souls can be defined as a chicano soul group that channels the spirit, passion, and lighthearted disco touch of Marvin Gaye and Al Green. Although their performance paid homage to legendary Texas group the Royal Jesters in a cover of “We Go Together,” every other record was originally crafted in a manner that captures universal yearning yet feels conceptually original. Take the opening song off of their most recent record, Got a Story to Tell: The song, titled “Lucid Girl,” uses lucid dreaming as a metaphor for radical self-determination – in other words, a woman who realizes she controls her own reality and refuses to be constrained by someone else. The sonics on this track also differs from their usual retro-soul approach: in fact, it takes on its own weightless, dreamy production that perfectly highlights Lane’s warm tenor style and the band’s harmonies. This made it all that much more pleasurable to hear live, and it was the highlight of the night.
The group’s discography has variety – songs like “Any Old Fool” and “Running Away” are primed for disco night, while “My Heart is Drowning” was good enough to spin for days after a bad breakup. Yet, the setlist was almost comically consistent in its theme: 17 out of the 18 songs performed had the word “love” in them, the sole exception being the introspective “On My Mind.” Lane, when he did speak to the crowd, would speak about Palestinian genocide and colonialism as a segue into more “revolutionary love” songs, such as “Love is the Way.” The central theme of his crowd engagement was that “none of us are free” if there is this scale of injustice happening to our peers, a philosophy reminiscent of the classic song recorded by legends like Ray Charles and Solomon Burke.
Of course, their biggest hits called the crowd of diverse ages and ethnicities to attention. “Can I Call You Rose?,” the group’s jazz-heavy debut single, catapulted them to fame and notoriety, while “Will I See You Again?” served as their biggest callback to 60s-inspired sound and themes. But it was songs like “Live For You” that seemed to resonate with the crowd of 20-somethings the most: in a world that demands your attention and commitment at every turn, we often forget ourselves in the process – and sometimes, it takes a group of musicians to help remind us of our ownership.
Thee Sacred Souls are now headlining a revolution of their own that has been long in the works. Alongside them are artists like Jalen Ngonda, Durand Jones & the Indications, Aaron Frazer, and Thee Sinseers – and after this most recent concert experience, I am happy to announce to those who still have doubts: not only is the legacy of soul music being preserved, but built upon with a careful expansion into today’s context of America, the music business, and self-actualization. Looks like we didn’t need more cocaine after all.
PHOTO GALLERY BY AARON RODRIGUEZ
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