
QUINN DEVEAUX (real name Flynn Boudreaux) is a thoroughly contemporary US soul man, but one whose penchant is for the retro – old school 60s soul, blues and gospel. He calls his music “blue beat soul” and we’ve learned that his musical tastes come via his righteous gospel upbringing, his mother’s ’80s R&B and soul favourites and dad’s classic rock leanings. His real epiphany was when he discovered the music of Muddy Waters. Quinn says: “I couldn’t believe the music. Didn’t seem real – that bone-raw emotion”. From there, our young man went on to “discover” more Chicago blues, Southern soul and the art of people like Ray Charles, Al Green and Bill Withers. Thus the music he makes is a clever cocktail – varied old school filtered through youthful enthusiasm.
So far this year we’ve enjoyed several singles from him – all channeling his ‘blue beat soul” vibe. They’ve included ‘You Got Soul’ – a melange of many of the things we’ve just listed and the upbeat blues inflected ‘USA’ . A loving tribute to his homeland, the sound owed a lot to a certain Chuck Berry with just a hint of Bruce Springsteen!
If all that intrigues you, then you need to know that Quinn has just released a new album, ‘Leisure’. Both those songs are featured and the remaining 8 offer plenty more variety and interest. ‘Take You Back’ is the classic, old school soul standout – a real Stax vibe going on here (think maybe ‘Private Number’). Elsewhere ‘Evil Woman’ is bluesy and betrays Quinn’s respect from people like Muddy Waters while the LP’s big ballad is the stark ‘Give Love A Try’ – dark and broody.
Of the album Quinn says: “This record is an exploration into home and various items in the rear view. I wanted it to be a front porch swinging in a hammock. I wanted it to be well-rounded like a jawbreaker but with little crunchy pieces inside. There were so many images that came to mind when I sat down to write these songs and I wanted to get as many of those in as I could.”
QUINN DEVEAUX’S ‘Leisure’ is out now via SofaBurn Records