Best Emerging Artist

It’s party time with vocalist Sierra Green & the Soul Machine who keeps things jumpin’ for the majority of the album. Green, a New Orleans native who was recently honored with OffBeat’s Best Emerging Artist award, bursts with gritty enthusiasm as she digs into some old-school soul shouting in front of an equally energized band complete with the essential horns—sax, trumpet and trombone. It’s become somewhat of a rarity that a working band carries all three instruments and the blowers punctuate Green’s driving vocals as well accentuating the rhythm section of piano/keyboards, bass and drums.

What sets this band apart—along with Green’s passionate delivery—is that all of the material comes from the pen of bassist Mike Perez. It’s solid writing and refreshing that a soul ensemble goes beyond covers of the classics. After seven cuts of up-tempo party-down cuts, a change of mood benefits the album with Green layin’ back on her vocals and keyboardist Will Rast moving to the piano on the bluesy “Pieces of You.”

It’s easy to understand the appeal of Sierra Green & the Soul Machine to audiences out to have some fun at the Frenchmen Street clubs. A bit more subtlety, which perhaps exists at live shows, might have gone a long way in adding another dimension to this package.