5/12/2004

Tim Whitaker

Except for Al Green's periodic bumpy Philly appearances, good luck finding any semblance of live Memphis soul in this city. Which is why the Bo-Keys show at Zanzibar this Tuesday is soul stew from heaven for those of us who know it's only a matter of time till we throw it all away and head to Beale Street to spend the rest of our days telling tall tales, eating barbecue and listening to Rufus Thomas and Eddie Floyd records. The Bo-Keys, an instrumental group in the tradition of the Mar-Keys and Booker T. & the MGs, is made up of original Stax sidemen and young Turks whose love of strutting soul cannot be defined generationally. The band's recently released debut album, The Royal Sessions, was recorded at Willie Mitchell's legendary Royal Studios (the same studio where they backed Al Green on his recent I Can't Stop album). Partly soul groove flashback (check out their version of "Funky Good Time") and nouveau R&B with tastes of Latin ("Spanish Dance") and hip-hop ("Deuce and a Quarter") thrown in for seasoning, the Bo-Keys jam with the kind of confident voguish swagger that reminds you why the soul of Memphis burns eternal.