Delta Spirit: Ode to Sunshine

By: Wesley Hodges

The name Delta Spirit could be translated literally as a “change in spirit” and that is exactly what the band’s musical message attempts to affect in its congregation. Although comparisons with tour buddies and soul brothers Cold War Kids and Dr. Dog are almost unavoidable, these songsmiths manage to carve out their own niche pulling inspiration from a spiritual source and delivering a powerful message of personal transformation that hinges on an optimist outlook. As far as this record goes, the band achieves this style without coming off as overly preachy, delivering the good word and bringing a smile.

I’d be remiss to not mention that these guy lay down some delectably loose polyrhythmic, revivalist guitar rock reminiscent of Dylan’s carnival style Rolling Thunder Revue from the mid-70s. A few cuts stand out on this record, and right from the beginning the jaunty number “Trashcan” reins you in with a rambling piano riff and some howling vocals from lead singer Matthew Vazquez delivering lyrics of hopefulness – “my love is coming, I can barely hardly wait!” – that put out a lustrous sheen of optimism that brilliantly emanates throughout the album. This tune transitions breezily into the inspired call to action “People C’Mon” with its beckoning call, “All you soul-searching people c’mon.”

This band demands that you seek the inspirational springs of life, whether that is spirituality, worldly delights, love or positive actions to affect constructive personal change and thereby inspire others to live better. To really face up to the challenges of life and achieve full catharsis we must face up to the harsher realities of life and aid those in need. That’s what “House Built For Two” hopes to achieve, singing to a friend or relative struggling with substance abuse with some appropriately placed bottle jangles in the background symbolically setting the atmosphere. “Streetwalker” comes straight from the stage at Newport in ’65 or Monterey in ’67 and is arguably the album’s shining moment. Drawing inspiration from the muses of the Sixties, the band begs, “Whoa, set me free/ set me free/ come on and set me free,” inviting the listener to sing-along with demanding gusto. They acknowledge their predecessors in “People, Turn Around,” where Vazquez sings “the song that needs singing has already been sung before,” asking listeners to look to the past to find solutions to their lives in the present. The Christian undertones become apparent in “Bleeding Bells” and “Children,” which posits, “God is on our side/ That’s all we really need.” The record’s final and title track is also the thematic centerpiece of the record, furthering the album’s theme of paying homage to sources of positive inspiration by saying, “The sun’s got my shine/ The sun’s got my pride/ I could run but I’d never live without your light.”

Where many bands come off as distant cohorts who just happen to record and tour together, Delta Spirit feels more like a team than a band, delivering peppy, poppy and percussive sounds and sharing a unified creative vision. After receiving some favorable press around the country, touring with Cold War Kids and a recent Austin City Limits festival appearance, it wouldn’t be surprising to see these guys on their own headlining tour soon. With bigger audiences these guys will hopefully be able to achieve their goal and affect positive changes through music, which is no small achievement.

And I’ll be wandering on for all these years
What I’ll become no one could know
If you’re feeling what I’m feeling come on
All you soul searching people come on

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