There are few better bands to boost one’s mood than the Memphis-based Southern Avenue. Ori Naftaly, Tierinii Jackson, Tikyra Jackson, family and friends mix radiant joy and tasty beats into a sonic tonic that’s as delectable as it is danceable. The latest sip from their forthcoming album on Alligator Records, Family, “Upside” is—as so many of their songs are—an infectious good time.
As always, love and positivity win out in their lyrics; while the goings may get tough, as they sometimes do, giving one’s self over to them only makes matters worse. As Tierinii sings, “Don’t you carry all those troubles around/Leave them bags but not your pride on the ground/Don’t you hold on to mistakes that you made/Give no power to the price of the game/Don’t waste your time/On things that you can’t change.”
Whether we witness it or, as I tend to do, sleep through it, the sun rises each and every morning. It shines its light onto the world below some days, warming our souls. Other times, however, our neighborhood star is obscured behind dark clouds. Either/or doesn’t much matter; it’s a new day, all the same.
To my ears, the song simultaneously sounds retro and fresh; it wouldn’t be out of place on the Top 40s of the early 1970s, when now-classic tracks from the Staple Singers, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and Stevie Wonder dominated the charts, yet echoes today, as well. The video, too, is joy personified. I can’t watch it and not smile.
The digital album can be pre-ordered over at Bandcamp, while those wanting the 14-track set on CD or vinyl should head over to Alligator Records. If “Upside” and the previous two singles, “Found a Friend in You” and “Rum Boogie,” are any indication, it’s going to be a blast.
The Old Grey Cat 
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