“From the Storm to the Sun … provides an aesthetically pleasing sound, while simultaneously disquieting the audience’s complacency regarding social issues.” – BlackGrooves (2010)
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“The Charlotte, N.C. based quartet pride themselves on having a DIY Ethic toward their sound as they literally have a hand in every aspect of the creation process from songwriting and producing, to performing and final mix-down. Which is quite evident in the live, organic sonics they deliver. The strong yet subtle lead vocals…are perfectly matched with the ethnic/urban soundscape they collectively produce yet the music itself, especially those infectious Conga drums, are never drowned out by the combination.
“During those times when other music has become bland & drab but my head is still boppin’ around, people usually ask me two questions: “Who are you listening to?” and “What do they sound like?” To the latter, I always find myself responding, ”Live, Eclectic & Real.” – The Soul Reservoir (2010)
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“Soulganic…creates funky soulful grooves with a lot of rhythm. From the Storm to the Sun is driven by accompanying Latin percussion that gives their songs such a rich and vibrant texture.” – Next Music Blog (2010)
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“Heavy percussion and latin grooves would be the best way to describe Soulganic. Icognito meets Carlos Santana. Imagine that! So you can tell by that description that this is an album worthy of adding to your collection. This album fully displays true musicianship. Each song exhibits it’s own level of ‘funktastic’.” – Music Addikts (2010)
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“Soulganic has a flow, smooth groove and energy that any music enthusiast will enjoy.” – Urban Mainstream Magazine (2010)
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“The sound of good soul funk and jazz is what you need to start a good weekend. What better than to start with Soulganic. This band from North Carolina leaves us with their second CD From the Storm to the Sun. With a big commitment to all their fans and lovers of this type of music. With their characteristic sound and music that so clearly defines them. From this blog with a great recommendation to all the lovers of this music style.” – BlackExplicit Radio Show (2010)
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“Soulganic … sound[s] like some of the best soul and jazz-funk bands of the 70’s and 80’s. One will be reminded of everyone from Tower Of Power, Maxayn, New Birth, Nikka Costa, Living Colour, Maktub, and Jamiroquai to Jaguar Wright. They enjoy mixing up a lot of different sounds, influences, and textures. This album sounds like one of those post-nightclub albums that you could chill out to, but find too irresistible to not react.
“What makes this real and organic? To me, it sounds like music from genuine musicians who love playing and jamming with each other, it’s the inner smile that helps encourage the outer smile, which is interpreted as a band who are having fun. I get that by listening to From The Storm To The Sun because it doesn’t sound like a band who are trying to meet a quota. It’s organic music from the soul, that’s as real as it can be.” – Okayplayer.com (2010)
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“A perfected blended sound of Funk and Soul. You can really get a sense of the care that each of the members bring. Once you think that you know where the next stop is, they change the destination, and you thank them. You’re going to wonder where have you been to not have heard of this group or this album. Trust me, I had the same thoughts.” – Soulified.com (2010)
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“From the Storm to the Sun…is a very serious affair. The album’s themes include drug addiction, infidelity, the savage injustice of the blood-diamond trade, class antagonism and absentee fathers and the soundscape they’ve created matches the harshness, the bleakness and the reality of the subject matter. The music on the album has a live and (obviously) organic feel about it and the crashing congas and insistent guitar phrasing might remind you of Curtis Mayfield’s early solo recordings though in places the feel is a whole lot rockier and more aggressive than anything the Gentle Genius ever created. Best example of that sound is the loose ‘Run’ and wild ‘Melt Away’ though at the other extreme ‘Remedios The Beauty’ is a sweet and gentle guitar-led instrumental that owes something to ‘Cavatina’! In between ‘Temporary Thrill’ and ‘How Does It Feel’ are both pleasing, gentle builders with memorable hooks while ‘Make You Beautiful’ is an effective, pleading ballad. ‘Carry On’ is a moodier ballad altogether and vocalist Anthony Rodriguez’s falsetto makes the most of the melody. Neither ballad could be described as “romantic” in the sweet, sentimental way that most modern music makers perceive a ballad… but that’s the secret and attraction of this album. There’s nothing here that formularised or clichéd. Sure, it won’t be to everyone’s taste but those who like to be seriously challenged could do worse than investigate.” – Bill Buckley, Soul and Jazz and Funk (UK, 2010)
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“On its sophomore album the soul funk outfit [Soulganic] tackles heavy lyrical topics while adhering to the qualities that made it a local favorite—fluid playing; classic Latin, rock, and R&B influences (Buddy Miles, Santana); and Anthony Rodriguez’s searing falsetto.” - Charlotte Magazine (2010)
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“The quartet … [is] more than competent and recalls the likes of Orgone or more to the point Soulive. From the Storm to the Sun…is very good.” – SoulInterviews.com (2010)
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“The group may have had a buttoned-down look, but their musical sound lets it all hang out. If your soul is hungry for good music, then the sounds of Soulganic will definitely feed you.” – MingleBerry.com (2009)
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“Soulganic—a solid…rootsy quartet out of Charlotte. Their sound brings about words one might expect from a nice rootsy lineup—groove, blues, dry, non-materialistic, live, meaningful. Soulganic is very obviously a great live band. We need that musicianship to continue building the fortress beneath the surface of American music. What it is…is soulful and organic—authentic.” – Okayplayer.com (2008)
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“A staple of their critically-acclaimed live show, Soulganic’s trademark earthy energy is evident on their debut album All Directions Forward. This CD is full of talented musicians that collectively put their amazing energy and roots into a sound so organic and soulful. It gives you the feeling of actually being there at a live performance. All Directions Forward is a must have for those that love and thirst for great soulful undiluted music.” – JustSoul.net (2008)
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“The funk syncopation of Soulganic offers the bluesy soul of old-style R&B, laced with Latin percussion. [They]…are phenomenal.” – Skope Magazine (2008)
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“Soul & Organic = Soulganic: yes; but indisputably we’re dealing with didactics as a pure doctrine of popular music creation: sparse arrangements made up of classical guitar, bass, and drums with quite precise & economic arcs of melody, and production that hasn’t tinkered around too much with the original sound. So what we get tries to reflect that straight out-of-the-garage live performance sound.
And the four from Soulganic (an understated sir on percussion can be added to the aforementioned trio) don’t limit themselves to Soul, they move it into a more apparent than actually identifiable influence in the musical gumbo of All Directions Forward. Rock & Funk, a trace of Jazz improvisation & inspiration, a relaxing Latin flow & rasping Blues provide the cornerstones to the Soulganic philosophy. It perhaps sounds a little like the early adventures of Red Hot Chilli Peppers: always emotional, energetic, and down-to-earth. For boys.” – Shortcuts, SoulSite.de, Germany (2008)
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“The four members of the band Soulganic make groove like some of the R&B groups of the past. All Directions Forward is an album that captures the band’s signature jazzy neo-soul sound with the energetic vibe that they bring to their animated stage performances.” NPR (2007)
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“I only include what I consider to be the very best music in my broadcast, ‘Closer’ (track 7 on All Directions Forward) is a very special piece of music, it’s in my top 20 of 2007 and I buy a LOT of music, believe me!! Big respect to you guys.” – Roger Williams, Solar Radio, UK (2007)
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“Every track has a new groove and the same impressive vocals. But there is also enough variety to keep things new and fresh throughout the album. [Soulganic] is groovy, solid and original.” – Ultra Indie Album Reviews (2007)
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“Let us introduce Soulganic…Together they brew up an intoxicating blend of funky soul with a distinctive Latin tinge and more than a dash of blues, rock, and jazz. All Directions Forward…does a fine job of recreating the club groove, especially on rock heavy tracks such as “Identity Crisis” and “Living the Life” as well as the blues tribute “Big Black Cadillac.” Torres, who originally hails from New York via Puerto Rico, is given free rein to demonstrate his virtuosity on congas and bongos on the up-tempo “Avonelle” and “Clouds of Yesterday” as well on the extended instrumental “Atacar” and the bossa nova styled “Time.” All Directions Forward is a solid debut from a promising band, and it will be interesting to see what direction they take in the future. No doubt it will be onward and upward for this talented quartet.” – BlackGrooves.org (2007)
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“Soulganic is in the kitchen…[mixing] smidgens of jazz, blues, rock, and funk with Latin and Caribbean influences to create a sound they hope will never be deemed cookie-cutter. Their music is umbilically connected to live show jam sessions and life experiences that mix into songs. They season their music to taste, improvising ingredients without straying from the authenticity in their name.” – Performer Magazine (2007)
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“All Directions Forward is a bit of a different groove than usual from this Carolina combo — a group who work in funky Neo Soul modes, but also bring in a bit of Latin and Caribbean influences as well! The sound is relatively laidback — played live, instrumentally, without a lot of extra beats or programming — and the group [has] a vamping approach to the rhythms that sets things up nicely before the lyrics come in. The outside influences mostly show themselves in these rhythms, which open up in some relatively fresh ways.” – Dusty Groove America (2007)
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“From start to finish, this album is an audio feast. From the fan favorite, bass line driven, opening track, to the final post-modern trippie grunge of the closing track, you’ll be treated to one of the best releases this year. Expanding the limits of what soul & urban music is, [Soulganic brings] a sound that is both groovy & accessible without being too cheesy, as many bands who attempt the genre-blend come off.” – Elliot Troper, Free Music Adviser (2007)
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“Effortless soul/funk with a jazzy impetuous side is the sound dynamic from the band Soulganic. The new album All Directions Forward highlights the eclectic inspiration of this quartet.” – Debby Jet Jennings, The [Rock Hill, SC] Herald (2007)
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“Charlotte-area quartet Soulganic condenses its critically praised, soulful funk-blues into an intimate debut album [with an] emotional edge. The disc verges into alternative hip-hop territory on the enthralling “Smell Pt. 2″, a detailed meditation on scent that features descriptive, poetic spoken word courtesy of Bluz. And “Big Black Cadillac” borrows from Led Zeppelin’s “Since I’ve Been Loving You,” crossing the line between classic blues-rock and soul.
Drummer Cory McClure, guitarist Ryan McKeithan and percussionist Lucas Torres rein in their desire to stretch out and jam, which means this album lacks the loose, improvisational feel of their live shows. But it gives the listener and overview of Soulganic’s groovy jams. ***1/2 (out of ****)”- Courtney Devores, Charlotte Observer (2007)
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“What attracts the new fans and those who have stayed with them through their previous incarnations, is, in addition to the smooth falsetto vocals and soul grooves, the lyrics and hooks…It doesn’t hurt that McClure and Torres offer a rhythmic dynamic that isn’t often found on the musical landscape. While Torres brings a traditional Latin element to the band through congas, McClure, who is primarily a keyboard player, finds melody and balance on the drums. Add in the bass and vocals of Rodriguez and playful guitar work of McKeithan and you’ve got an amalgamation of styles that combine to form a funky, jazzy, soul collective…Their lyrics focus on the aspects of existence you may expect to find in a soul band — love, life and all the things that go with it.” – Jeff Hahne, Music Editor, Creative Loafing Charlotte (2007)
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“Show up. Close your eyes. You might think you’re grooving to the Buddy Miles Express circa 1969.” – Courtney Devores, The Charlotte Observer (2006)
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“It’s hard to find a band that can speak to an eclectic and diverse crowd. Their music comes close to doing just that … there’s something in that soulful funk that everyone gets.” – Debony Burrowes, SOTAC Magazine, as quoted in The Charlotte Observer (2006)
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“Fresh off it’s well deserved Best New [Band] Award from Creative Loafing; Soulganic has made waves with its funky rhythms and tight arrangements wrapped in smooth vocals. The band wowed the crowd at the Charlotte Literary Festival. Consider me sold. Soulganic should run and not walk to a studio.” – Wilson Medina, QC Nightlife Music Editor (2006)
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“If you have yet to see these guys live, you’re definitely missing out. Soulganic’s sound isn’t easily labeled. It’s jazzy, but not strictly so, thanks to that pounding beat laid out by Cory McClure and Lucas Torres. However, it isn’t just Latin rhythms, either. You feel it: it’s organic, growing moment by moment with aural combinations that are pleasing to the soul. During every song, the rhythm invades your body, forcing you to take notice and dance, sway, move until it subsides or you drop (whichever happens first).” – Branna Calloway, Listings Editor, Creative Loafing Charlotte (2006)
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“Soulganic’s performance rocked! Their eclectic mix of Jazz / Latin / Blues / Soul / Rock / Folk / Funk pulsated into the streets of NODA as the crowd begged for more. ENCORE!” – Debony Burrowes, Publisher, State of the Arts & Culture (SOTAC) Magazine (2006)
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“Soulganic’s R&B/Funk/Jazz with a Latin twist is definitely starting to affect the way Charlotteans get their groove on.” – Kandia Crazy Horse, Former Music Editor, Creative Loafing Charlotte (2005)
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“If you haven’t seen the Jazzy-Funk-Soul band Soulganic, you’ve got to check them out! They’re my band of the moment, fa’ sho’! Soulganic has a strong following of young professionals who bum-rush their shows. Go check them out!!!” – Tonya Jameson, Pop Culture Columnist, The Charlotte Observer (2005)
