The Transatlantics - The Transatlantics

Author

Simon M aka Dr Gonzo

Published

Tuesday 26th October

Mecca

Belting out deep grove, Southern American soul and hard funk ala the revered Motown, Stax and Daptone label artists has gotta be tough when you’re young, white and live 10,187 flight miles from Detroit. For, Adelaide’s The Transatlantics, that’s precisely the sort of belting they’re after. And the comparisons have been made including, by NME, to the likes of Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings.

Whilst vocalist Tara Lynch, doesn’t have the depth of vocal range as Ms Jones – one would hardly expect her to, especially given her age and the number of years this outfit has been together (this is their debt release, having formed in late 2007) – she certainly manages to sound authentically soulful and funky. As does the whole band. Which is what you’d want from a Funk/Soul outfit really – especially one that lists its influences as including Eddie Bo, Al Green, Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding among others.

There’s something here for everyone in the genre – from the faster, bass driven grooves of the opening track ‘Tea Legs’, ‘Talk Like That’, ‘Your Time Is Up’ and ‘Keep on Running’ to the more soulful journeys on ‘Couldn’t Be Him’ and ‘That’s When I Feel So Lonely’. If you after some solid grooves, check it out. If you want something you haven’t heard before that’ll blow your mind, dig in a different crate.

What: The Transatlantics, The Transatlantics

When: Out now on Freestyle Records

Why: It’s Funking good

Where: They played Falls Festival, BDO and Playground Weekender Festival in 2009. No tour dates for the album yet. In the meantime you’ll probably catch them on RTR’s Soulsides and Black & Blue though don’t be surprised if you hear on shows as diverse as Breakfast with Barr, Sunday Morning Coming Down, Out to Lunch, Drivetime and Trainwreck.