In The Background and In High Heels

Last week was a bit of a whirlwind. In a highly unusual case of social activity, I found myself out every night long past my regular bedtime. From tapas with my cousin to a work-related roof deck party as well as a Wine Library TV event, the weekend couldn’t come soon enough. Yet, I knew the weekend wouldn’t be any slower and that live music would be part of it. My friend Suzy T. was in town. We work together at a large, conservative, multi-national organization, but we both started our careers in the music industry. With a fellow music-lover in town, a live show was on the agenda. While there’s plenty of live music on any given weekend in NYC, it’s easy to make a bad choice and hear something awful. Fortunately for us, we got it exactly right and found what was probably the best show in town. We headed to the Bell House on Saturday for the second night of the Brooklyn Soul Festival.

I had heard about the Bell House from several friends, but had yet to stop by. It opened last fall in the Gowanus area of Brooklyn. A converted warehouse, the venue did not disappoint. Not only did it have beautiful design, including wooden arched ceilings, and cheap drinks, it had an excellent sound system. The crowd included a wide range of ages, colors, and fashion trends. To top the evening off, BBQ experts from The Five Spot were out front with a smoker and some amazing late night snacks. There’s nothing like the smell of BBQ at two in the morning. Well, that is, unless you’re a vegetarian. For most of us though, the smoke outside and the venue just enhanced the great music.

Photo by Suzy T.

First up were The Sweet Divines, a local Brooklyn quartet. These ladies served up some authentic southern soul. Clearly inspired by 1960’s girl groups, they wore fun mini-dresses with fringe and had some smooth dance moves. Of course, what really mattered was can they sing? Yes. All of them. Very well, in fact. They were a joy to watch and hear. Each woman took the lead vocals on a different song. They clearly loved the music and every note was strong. They also sang a few of their own tunes as well as some covers. Their song “Heckuva Man” sounded like a funky soul version of Salt ‘n Pepa’s “Whatta Man” that featured En Vogue, but was originally sung by Lynda Lyndell. "Heckuva Man" is a standout tune and could easily be a radio hit. Unfortunately, other than the videos of their live shows, you’re not likely to hear the song anytime soon. The Sweet Divines have yet to release a full album, but I’m sure all of that will change soon so watch their website or Myspace page. They’ve been generating a lot of buzz locally and they are certainly talented.

The Sweet Divines seem to be taking a tip from the Sweet Inspirations, a sixties soul quartet that included Cissy Houston, Whitney’s mother and Dionne Warwick’s aunt. In addition to recording their own songs the Sweet Inspirations sang back up for Aretha Franklin and Elvis. Similarly, the Sweet Divines have sung back up for soul singers such as Sharon Jones (see Purplish Rain). In a move that seemed to bring everything full circle, on Saturday the Sweet Divines sang back up for Maxine Brown, who was backed up by the Sweet Inspirations in the 1960’s.



Photo by Suzy T.



Maxine Brown is a legendary, if underrated, R&B soul singer. She had a few popular songs in the 1960’s including “All in My Mind,” “Oh No Not My Baby” and “We’ll Cry Together.” At 60, and despite probably having sung these songs thousands of times, Brown still delivers with a voice that remains strong and smooth. She has unrelenting energy that overflowed to the audience. Her cover of Sam & Dave’s “Hold On” made for an engaging call and response with the crowd. She quickly launched into an incredible cover of “Piece of My Heart”, originally recorded by Erma Franklin, but made famous by Janis Joplin. Overall, Brown gave her audience everything we could have wanted from a soul festival and then some. We danced, but were nearly moved to tears by some of her slower songs.

Mad props, as the kids say, also go to The Sweet Divine Rhythm Band, who backed everyone all night. Led by J.B. Flatt, these guys and gals are delivering the sound of soul as well as the The Dap Kings (see Purplish Rain). We knew it the moment they opened the show with a spot on delivery of the classic soul tune “Green Onions” by Booker T. & the MG’s. The evening concluded with a set from Otis Clay, who also had back-up from the band and the Sweet Divines. Clay was fantastic. But equally impressive was how the Sweet Divines held up vocally all night AND danced in high-heels for well over four hours. It’s been said that Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels. It seems the Sweet Divines are doing everything in the background and in high heels. Let’s hope they continue to move front and center so we can hear more.

Hear Music
SWIK Maxine Brown

See Music
The Sweet Divines: Heckuva Man, Somebody In This World
Salt N Pepa ft. En Vogue: Whatta Man
Lynda Lyndell: What a Man
Maxine Brown: One In A Million, Oh No Not My Baby (live)


Learn More
The Sweet Divines
Maxine Brown
The Stax Museum(for more on soul music)
The Bell House
The Five Spot (yes, they have take-out)

Buy Music

The Sweet Divines

Maxine Brown