Tina T said

Want to capture soul music in one word? Well, here you go: authenticity. If you're looking for good, shirt-soaking, life-affirming soul music that you feel all the way down to your spine, stay clear of today's glossy, melisma-overloaded R&B charts - they'll just leave you hollow and queasy. A better bet would be local soul revolutionaries Her Grace the Duchess. Boasting four Etta James- and Tina Turner-inspired vocalists, a pulsing rhythm section, and three fireball horn players, this 10-piece sweat syndicate is the Bay Area's answer to Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings: faithful, genuine, electrifying soul revivalists eager to remind us why the Stax and Motown sounds remain as perfect as ever. (Todd Lavoie)