First Listen: Roxy Roca rides in the “Love Maker DeVille”

Austin, Texas-based band ROXY ROCA is all about southern soul, stirring up in infectious sound influenced as much by soul and funk legends of the late 60s like James Brown, Joe Tex, and Al Green as by early rock ‘n’ roll pioneers like Chubby Checker and Little Richard and early 70s psychedelic funk rockers like War and Sly and the Family Stone. Formed in late 2010, the band quickly developed a reputation for getting a room on its feet and in motion with a sound that has been described as Dynamite Texas Soul — driving, horn-powered southern soul with a certain explosiveness and swagger that is distinctly Texas. The band went into EAR Studio to capture that energy the old-fashioned way: nine musicians in a room together, recording live, straight to tape. That whirlwind, four-day session resulted in ROXY ROCA’s Stag Records debut, Ain’t Nothin’ Fancy. On it, green-eyed soul shouter Taye Cannon leads his crack band of veteran players through a tight, punchy set of funk and soul originals with the urgency of a man trying to save his own soul as much as the listener’s.

We’re giving SoulTrackers a peek at this album with our latest First Listen. Check out the hot “Love Maker DeVille” and experience the rollicking music of Roxy Roca. And then tell us what you think!

Roxy Roca – “Love Maker DeVille”