Sierra Green & The Giants: “Here We Are” (2024) CD Review

Sierra Green & The Giants are a funky, soulful band based in New Orleans. The band’s debut full-length album, Here We Are, features excellent covers, songs that, although having been around for decades, seem now to be made specifically for Sierra Green’s voice, for her energy. Interestingly, she has two bands backing her on this album, two groups of Giants. Much of this album was recorded in Nashville, where the band was made up of Joe McMahan on guitar, JD Simo on guitar, Ted Pecchio on bass, Adam Abrashoff on drums, Robbie Crowell on tenor saxophone, and Emmanuel Echem on trumpet. A few tracks were recorded in New Orleans, with Paul Provosty on guitar, Miguel Perez on bass, David Torkanowsky on keys, William West on drums, David Ludman on saxophone, Brandon Nater on trumpet, and Maurice Cade on trombone.

These guys show they mean business by opening with a delicious cover of Funkadelic’s “Can You Get To That,” the track having a classic sound. This band digs into the funk, and Sierra Green’s vocal performance is cool and confident, with a natural flair and strength. “Well, I once had a life/Or rather, life had me.” Just listening to this track will make you a cooler person, no question. And how can you help but dig that rhythm? Sierra Green keeps those great funky vibes going with another great choice of songs, “Come To Mama” (listed as “Come To Mamma” on the disc), a song Ann Peebles included on her 1975 album Tellin’ It. Etta James also recorded this one, including it on her 1988 record Seven Year Itch. Sierra Green puts her own power behind this one. Just listen to the way she delivers lines like “If you need, need a satisfier” and “‘Cause I got your favorite toy.” Who could turn down such an invitation? And the horns help usher us into her lair. She slows things down a bit with her rendition of Betty Wright’s “Girls Can’t Do What Guys Do,” which was written by Clarence Reid and Willie Clarke. She delivers a passionate, soulful performance. This track also features some wonderful, expressive work on guitar.

Those first three tracks were part of the Nashville sessions. The next track, a cover of “There’s A Break in The Road,” here listed as “Break In The Road,” was recorded in New Orleans. It’s a song written by Allen Toussaint that Betty Harris recorded in 1969, with members of The Meters backing her. Sierra Green does a great job with it, turning in a powerful performance, full of attitude. “You were the only man who could turn me on/Make a bad girl out of me/Make me do things I never dreamed.” This track features some delicious work on keys, and I like that section where Sierra’s vocals are backed by drums. Sierra Green then turns to the Allman Brothers’ first album, covering their “Dreams.” This track, recorded in Nashville, begins with a good, strong groove, and features some nice stuff from the horn section. “Just one more morning/I had to wake up with the blues,” Sierra sings, and she means it . We hear the blues in her voice. The band gives the song a bit of funk. This track contains some fantastic stuff on guitar, particularly the lead in the middle. And check out that great work from the brass players in the second half. I love the way the band handles this song.

Sierra Green & The Giants give us a powerful and moving rendition of James Brown’s “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World,” here listed as “This Is A Man’s World.” This track features one of the album’s best vocal performances, and that’s saying something. I love the raw power, particularly over the more subdued work on drums, bass and guitar at moments. The music then does grow in power as the track progresses. It’s a remarkable rendition, and one of my personal favorite tracks. That’s followed by “He Called Me Baby,” another of the songs recorded in New Orleans. This is an interesting one, for it began as a country song. It was written by Howard Harlan, who recorded it in 1961. It was also recorded by Charlie Rich, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, among others. Patsy Cline also recorded it, though wasn’t the first to change the title from “She” to “He.” Ella Washington and Candi Station released soulful versions of the song in 1969 and 1971 respectively, so it does have a history of being delivered in that realm. Sierra Green & The Giants take it even further in that direction, and the results are wonderful. This track contains another strong vocal performance, and some good stuff from the horn section. Then “Get Low Down” is a cool, mean number, written by Allen Toussaint and Curly Moore, and released on a single by Curly Moore in 1966. There is something quite sexy about Sierra Green’s rendition.

The final track from the New Orleans session is a cover of David Shaw’s “Promised Land.” As the track begins, it has a somewhat relaxed, smooth vibe, but as soon as Sierra’s vocals come in, it begins to grow in power. “They tell you love don’t cost a thing/Well, them folks all got diamond rings/And they say it’s the punch that you don’t see coming/They can’t hit me if I don’t stop running, running, running, running.” And we feel the truth as she sings the song’s main line, “We ain’t living in no promised land.” This is another of the disc’s highlights. She closes the album with “Same Old Blues,” a song written by Don Nix, and recorded by Freddie King, who used it as the lead track to his 1971 LP Getting Ready. Sierra Green can certainly deliver the blues. Just listen to the way she sings the lines, “I can’t help, I can’t help but thinking/When the sun used to shine on my back door/Now the sun’s turned to rain/All my laughter turned to pain.” Wow. This track also features some excellent work on guitar.

CD Track List

1. Can You Get To That
2. Come To Mamma
3. Girls Can’t Do What Guys Do
4. Break In The Road
5. Dreams
6. This Is A Man’s World
7. He Called Me Baby
8. Get Low Down
9. Promised Land
10. Same Old Blues

Here We Are was released on June 21, 2024.