Durand Jones & The Indications – American Love Call

Most bands on the retro-soul scene seem obsessed with seeing how far they can wander into the past, so it's refreshing that the first track of American Love Call, the second album from Durand Jones & the Indications, reminds us that they're living in America in 2019, a time and place where not everyone is getting a fair deal. 

American Love Call is the first album this band has recorded in a proper studio, and though the production is cleaner and the arrangements are more ambitious than those on their self-titled 2016 debut, the addition of strings and horns don't clutter the surroundings and instead refine and focus the sound of a band that already had a good thing going. Guitarist Blake Rhein, keyboard man Steve Okonski, bassist Kyle Houpt, and drummer Frazer are a remarkably tight band whose sound is clearly rooted in the past, but the emotions behind it are fresh, as is their enthusiasm and commitment, and there's a rich, beating heart behind this music that's free of affectation. American Love Call is an outstanding example of how craft and passion can walk hand in hand, and puts Durand Jones & the Indications near the top of the heap in the retro-soul sweepstakes.

- AllMusic.com