Soulman Eli "Paperboy" Reed is on his way to make a local delivery, writes Russell Baillie.
Having stirred up plenty of interest with his three albums - including last year's major label debut Come and Get It - Boston-raised Brooklyn-resident blue-eyed soulman Eli "Paperboy" Reed is heading here to show, live, what the fuss is all about.
As well as plenty of acclaim, he's got quite a story behind him. He headed to the southern town of Clarksdale Mississippi while still in his teens to play his blues dues (the old hat he wore there got him the nickname). He played in black churches for a few more years.
Now his records inspire glowing comparisons to Otis Redding, James Brown, Sam Cooke and James Brown...
With your move from blues and gospel into soul it's like you reverse-engineered your music.
I guess so. I never really thought about it. It wasn't a preconceived idea that that was what I was going to do. I think a lot of people at my age making soul records came at it from a hip-hop angle - from all the sampling. For me it was never like that. I came at it through blues and country music. I was really always more interested in the emotion than the hip-hop angle; than the funk beats or whatever.
Blues, gospel, soul and now funk - that should mean your next album risks being a disco record?
You know, it's not the first time I've been asked that. I don't know, I think if anything it will probably be more in the other direction. I have no idea.
Lyrically speaking, do you find it hard talking about today when you are referencing music from a more innocent time?
I don't know if it I agree was more innocent. I don't think that it's necessary to spell out all the drama of the period that you live in in the music that you make. I think that it's enough to hint at it or suggest it lyrically. I think there's a ton of drama in the music of the 60s and 70s. But it didn't necessarily spell it out. I'm not a politician and I am not a social philosopher but I think I can make my points about the troubles that exist in the world today through the music in my own way.
The live show you are bringing here, what's it like? A big band?
It's a little bit smaller than what we have toured before, a little bit more rough and ready, a little bit more improvisatory in our approach. That has to do with not wanting to do the same sets every night, so we can change it up. That way, if we feel like playing a new song we can just throw it together at soundcheck which I think is exciting. I think it will be no less exciting than the show with the larger band.
So more rock show than soul revue?
I think we'll be more like a rock band but soul music definitely informs everything that I do. I think this particular tour and the way we are going to do it this time around has less trappings of the soul shows than what I've done before.
Talking of soul trappings, where do you get your suits?
Oh man, it's a struggle because I destroyed a few of them on this past tour. There are great vintage stores in New York city that I try to go back to when I am back. They are hard to find. They are hard to come by.
Maybe after the next album or the next tour you can get them tailor-made.
That's the plan.
LOWDOWN
Who: Eli "Paperboy" Reed
Where and when: Galatos, Auckland April 29; Bodega Wellington April 30
-TimeOut
