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The kick in the Brandy Alexander is the cognac/brandy, smoothed out by fresh cream and crème de cacao. This new soul-rock band from Brooklyn takes their name from the cocktail as powerhouse vocalist Brandi Thompson delivers plenty of kick, while her supporting Alexanders flesh out the sound, not necessarily smoothly but more often with a tremendous punch too, usually in a nine-piece configuration with blaring horns. They are a funk and soul band with deep roots in the NYC music scene, a crowd-pleasing live act making their debut.
Thompson wrote eleven of these radio-friendly dozen tunes, telling stories of love, regret, jealousy. In the heydays of pop and R&B radio decades ago, some of these tunes might have become classics. They bring back those Muscle Shoals and Memphis sounds. One curious cover is Ozzy Osbourne’s “Paranoid.” Maybe you’ve seen Brandi’s name on recordings from Daptone artists such as Aloe Blacc, Nick Waterhouse, Jay Stolar, and Animal Years. She was born in Chicago to a Doo Wop singing dad and has traveled the U.S. and Europe as a backup vocalist. Now she is stepping out as the frontwoman.
At a time when the passing of Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, brought many of Aretha’s classic hits back to radio, along comes Brandi and the Alexanders with a contemporary approach but a similar galvanizing soulful feeling. Check out her performance of “God Bless America” at a Citi Field Mets game on YouTube or their session at Paste, also on YouTube. The opening title track has already been released as a single. Brandi’s arresting vocal soars above the churning funk.
The next track, “Higher,” co-written with three of her bandmates, brings some classic R&B, propelled by the horns and swirling organ. It’s a mix of funk, R&B, and rock as the album unfolds, produced and engineered by multi-instrumentalist Quinn McCarthy. The band has a tremendous sense of dynamics, epitomized by the highly danceable “I’m In Love,” which slows to whisper midway through like a train instantly braking before raving up again. There’s little choice but to follow that breakneck tune with a ballad. “Jealousy” does just that as Brandi proves she can croon and caress the lyrics just as well as she can belt them.
The rather smooth R&B groove stays intact for “Paranoid” before revving up the funk for “Running Around,” dialing down for “Love Songs,” and keeping this alternating tempo across the next four tracks before reaching one of the clear standouts, the closing “Bad Love,” where Thompson showcases both the musical and emotional range of her stunning voice. It’s breathtaking.
As mentioned, the core band members have interesting pedigrees and interests. Guitarist Nick Fokas, hails from Queens and is a former professor of Greek and Roman history. He’s a former member of the seminal local NYC band, Reserved for Rondee and is steeped in psychedelic rock and shredding. The bassist Eric Wendell is from Long Island and a published author (Patti Smith: America’s Punk Rock Rhapsodist, Experience Herbie Hancock) with Rowman & Littlefield. He holds a masters in jazz history form Rutgers. Ethan Simons, the keyboardist, comes by way of NOLA and Boston. He also plays in the indie-pop=synth band The Shack and has a cameo appearance in this year’s upcoming season of HBO’s The Deuce. Drummer Eric Gottlieb grew up with guitarist Eric Wendell and the two have been playing together for years. Gottlieb is also Assistant Program Director at WFUV radio in New York.
Brandi and the Alexanders have delivered a debut that packs the punch of a dozen cocktails. Drink it in, shake your feet, and enjoy!
