Soul Shangri-La

Soul Shangri-La

San Francisco’s underground music scene boasts the most ardent devotees of the resurgence of the '60s girl-group sound. The Bang Girl Group Revue is the city’s best period-correct recreationist ensemble, with nary an anachronism. But rather than just rehash old covers, The Bang also recharges this ilk of music with timeless-sounding originals. “Another Notch on His Belt” opens like The Ronettes fronting The Animals. Singers Angeline King, Rachel Mae Havens, and Tish Peterson sing soulfully about finding strength in the middle of a crush as a groovy organ grinds alongside stylish guitar leads. Once you look past the palpable chemistry of the three frontwomen, it becomes evident that The Bang has a secret weapon in guitarist Derek See. Dexterous and versatile, he owns his vintage tones while effortlessly segueing from the mid-'60s mod fuzz that buzzes around the psych-soul of “No Matter What You Do” to creamy soul smoothness in an outstanding take on Billy Dawn Smith’s “Make It for the Door.” A heavy cover of Sharon Tandy’s freakbeat gem “Hold On” bookends this amazing debut.

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