There isn’t that much good new soul music these days, so fans of the genre have every reason to welcome Honeybear, the Band with open arms, as advocates of good new soul music. The Vancouver outfit take a well-worn path through vintage R&B, blues and roots, built around the warm chemistry of four longtime friends, expanded with keyboards, pedal steel, horns and backing vocals.
Their sophomore album The Cure is an eleven-song set—ten on streaming services; Easy Street is missing—that sounds rich without becoming overly polished. There’s nothing revolutionary here, nor does there need to be. These musicians understand that soul is less about nostalgia than about feel, and the new record has enough grit and groove to make this sound timeless.
The Cure—recorded by Jeff Zipp / John Raham—is out now streaming via Playmor. CDs and vinyl LPs are reportedly for sale at live shows. Featuring Ian Beaty (vocals, bass ), Colin Brumelle (guitar), Mike Kenney (piano, organ) and Timothy S. Watson (drums, percussion), with Cindy Fairbank (piano, organ), Geoff Hicks (drums, percussion), Scott Smith (pedal steel), Jerry Cook (saxophone), Jocelyn Waugh (trumpet), Adam Kyle (saxophone), Gregory Dent (trombone, trumpet), Dawn Pemberton (background vocals) and Colleen Rennison (background vocals) on select tracks.