North Carolina based Soulganic’s sophomore release kicks off with the jaunty samba-funk jam of “Temporary Thrill” that is propelled by a rhythmically vigorous  acoustic guitar  and opulent flute touches. The music itself conjures up images of swaying palm trees and warm tropical nights. It certainly draws you in , yet it‘s also sort of misleading. A closer listen to the lead vocals of  Anthony Rodriguez reveals another side entirely: a first person narrative of a drug addict.

It’s certainly an auspicious and haunting way to open an album and other compositions on From The Storm To The Sun essay issues equally as serious as the African Blood Diamond Trade on Afro/Cuban hybrid of  “How Does It Feel (Blood Money) and infidelity on the Bill Withers’ inspired down home acoustic soul of “Melt Away” that segues into a bluesy Hendrixian guitar solo. The quartet which consists of  Cory McClure on drums, Ryan McKeithan on guitars, Rodriguez on lead guitars and Lucas Torres, respectively are more than competent and recalls the likes of Orgone or more to the point Soullive.

Therefore, it’s sort of disappointing that they don’t make an effort to further explore socially conscious themes on the rest of the set and settle instead for sub-par Maxwell imitations like “Make You Beautiful” or the uninspired funk-rocker “Forgotten Ones”.

As it stands right now, Soulganic is a promising group still in the throes of  a transition. Still, when From The Storm To The Sun is good it’s very good.

Rating: 6/10

Matt Bauer for Soulinterviews.com
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