Southern Soul Assembly—Saenger Theatre—Mobile, AL—04/01/2014

Written by: Rosemary A.W. Roberts

Photos by: Clayton Roberts

On Tuesday April 1, the stars were shining bright in Mobile from many directions. First, a gorgeous brand-new crescent moon hung in the early evening sky, and stars began twinkling as it grew darker. Secondly, there was a full movie production crew set up in the middle of Joachim Street, directly in front of the historic Saenger Theatre, filming the upcoming movie Vice starring Bruce Willis…and no, that is NOT an April Fool’s joke! But without a doubt, the brightest stars of the evening were to be found on the Saenger stage, with a theatre filled with music lovers surrounding them and hanging on their every note.

HUKA Entertainment gave Mobile, AL reason to head downtown for an intimate evening of Southern Songwriters in the Round, as they presented the Southern Soul Assembly, comprised of songwriting singer/guitarists Marc Broussard, Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars), JJ Grey (Mofro), and Anders Osborne. The four accomplished musicians sat comfortably on stage with acoustic guitars in hand, and graciously took turns presenting their songs with the other gentlemen as support. It was almost like being in their living room, hanging out and listening as they told stories and sang songs to make us laugh and cry. The audience was respectful and gave silent attentiveness when needed, but also loudly hooted, hollered, and applauded when the time was right. All of these elements combined to produce a truly magnificent concert experience that instantly became one of my favorites I’ve ever seen.

By the time we made our way inside, escorted by one of the movie production guys, Marc Broussard was finishing a song, and then JJ Grey played “Brighter Days”, as his voice carried deep through the theatre. Next was Anders Osborne, with the poignant and beautiful title track from his album Peace. Luther Dickinson then shared one of the songs off his new album Rock ‘N Roll Blues called “Karmic Debt”, a comforting melody with a story-song about a sailor and his love back home. Marc described his next song as possibly the “most depressing song” he’s ever written. His pristine voice gave honest witness to a time he was “So Far Down”, and Anders played an acoustic lead that quite literally brought me to tears. Luther played an acoustic bass while JJ sang “This River”, a heart-heavy piece that featured the line “Where Did My Soul Go?” Suddenly I was acutely aware that each member of this aptly named ensemble would be baring their Souls for us all evening, raw and exposed, using their gifts as musicians to allow us a glimpse inside of them. Luther Dickinson’s “Mojo, Mojo” featured his gorgeous guitar work supplemented by gentle harmonica from JJ Grey. Marc Broussard’s “Lonely Night In Georgia” and especially “Life Worth Living” were absolute soul-revelations, as was Anders Osborne’s “Boxes, Bills, and Pain”.

There would, however, also be moments of levity and liveliness scattered amongst

the heavier songs, allowing all of our souls a chance to breathe and recover in between. Anders gave us “(My Momma Likes) Marmalade” with a Caribbean vibe, and loaned his Jamaica hoodie to JJ Grey for the song, very fitting for the reggae rapping that JJ skillfully threw down. Luther told us a story about how much he does NOT enjoy lawn maintenance with the laugh-inducing “Yard Man”.  JJ told us an amusing story before launching into “Slow Hot & Sweaty”, and he thrilled this Mobile Alabama crowd when he played his ultra-fun song about partying on the Gulf Coast at the “Flora-Bama”. The locals’ appreciation was also in full effect for Anders’ “Summertime in New Orleans”, an ode to the great city that we consider our sister. And when Luther said it was time to “shake some ass” and they kicked off the North Mississippi Allstars’ classic “Shake”, everyone got on their feet and took the chance to dance. The elated crowd remained standing as the Southern Soul Assembly took their bow and headed offstage, amidst cheering so loud and sincere that an Encore was inevitable. It was especially awesome to hear Marc Broussard tell us that our local radio station 92-WZEW had played this song more than any other station in the world, and they played a grooving acoustic version of “Home”.

I fully expected the Southern Soul Assembly to provide an enjoyable evening; but they far exceeded my expectations! All four of these musicians are filled with such talent and truth, and it is made utterly apparent when they are sharing the stage in this type of intimate atmosphere. They were all having a great time, they each expressed a humble sense of honor to be playing with each other, and they thanked JJ Grey for putting the Assembly together for this special tour. There are a few remaining shows in Louisiana and Texas; then they head to Massachusetts, Connecticut, Delaware, and West Virginia before they wrap up in DC. Tour dates can be found here: http://southernsoulassembly.com/

I am so grateful I had the chance to see a concert from this tour, and would certainly recommend catching a show if you can. It’s definitely good for the Soul!