Feel Good Service bring their princely brand of dirty Funk’n’Soul dance grooves to windy and wet Auckland and generate steam heat.
The duo brings a wealth of music experience and industry respect to this new incarnation.
Lucy Graves attended Avondale College in Auckland prior to progressing her musical journey at the celebrated Berklee College of Music. The most important tertiary institution in the development and continued fostering of American music. Among her credits are playing with Ceelo Green and Black-Eyed Peas.
Andre MoDre Brown received a rare and coveted Presidential Scholarship from the same college. He’s recognised as superb producer inside the industry. Credits include appearing with Jennifer Lopez on the Today show, and with Jidenna on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Both are singers and multi-instrumentalists. Brown is a particularly respected bass guitarist and Graves often plays keyboards. Tonight, they play an electric guitar and keytar respectively.
The new single Hands just released two days ago is what got me hot footing it through the rain to see them tonight. It’s pure purple and paisley Prince styled psychedelic Soul Funk. An infectious and snake-charming groove. With every stroke you play with my emotions.
That rain was purple tonight after all.
They cover 1999. Give it a bit of remix with some clever changes to the tempo.
With them tonight they have a great engine room. Marika Hodgson on bass who plays with everyone, and Fulivai Smax Finau on drums. The band is completed with Peter Leupolu on keyboards.
Put your motherfucking money where your mouth is. That’s the chorus to a Soul Funk raver that shares a little of the riff from Tell Me Something Good by Rufus with Chaka Khan.
They start the show with Karma, which also resembles Prince’s 1999. It pops and simmers and keeps rolling.
Those are the three singles currently available, paying homage to Rogers Nelson whilst getting the attention of those with an ear for the great groove.
Saylene
Saylene Tanielu-Ulberg is a keyboard player and singer who has also played in various other bands, but she is fronting her own big band tonight.
She has played with White Chapel Jak, an excellent neo-Soul R’n’B outfit. She has her own all-female group called Liquid Honey. Another musician well-known inside the industry but remaining outside the radar of most music aficionados.
The seven bandmembers around her consist of three backing singers, a husband on drums and her little brother on lead guitar. He does tower over her, and he does play tasty soul to jazz licks.
Daybreak is out as a single. A soft soul reggae sound recognisable for its Kiwi style of summer and sunshine.
They play a sophisticated style of Seventies Soul music, reminiscent of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, and her song Empire is a showcase for her good R’n’B vocal style.
Sisterhood gets the audience dancing. Starts with some Stevie Wonder keyboard electro-Funk. You got the power inside you is the attitude. There is a nice Ernie Isley influenced guitar solo included for good measure.
Familiar old school Soul finishes with some harder uptempo R’n’B on Attitude.
Feel Good Service
The duo has said they like to take a pick’n’mix approach to the style of music they want to develop.
Livin’ it Up starts with a Larry Graham style bass intro. The keys resemble a horn section and this one has the energy of classic Sly and the Family Stone.
Elsewhere they stretch out on psychedelic George Clinton influenced P-Funk. That is Playing with Fire and Funk.
Make Me Feel/ Kiss is a change of tempo, and Graves stands out on vocals here. The pop style of early Madonna or even the female leads of the B52’s.
There is a lot going on in their music, even as they keep it spare and uncluttered.
Prince and ParliaFunkadelicment want to get busy shakin’ your booty. That seems to add up to Feel Good Service in the present moment.
Rev Orange Peel
