Eric Lindell

Being adopted by and revered in a city where you’ve lived for the greater part of a decade isn’t impressive. When that city happens to be New Orleans and you are a white soul, blues, and R&B singer from San Francisco, the feat becomes legendary. Such is life for Eric Lindell, the newest phenomenon in a city that slammed the door of musical innovation decades ago. Though he didn’t grow up in Louisiana, it is plain to see that Lindell’s sound was born and raised on the bayou. He encapsulates that blue-eyed soul that Darryl Hall and Van Morrison so suavely perfected — infusing his own sound with irresistible funk, reggae, and swamp pop. It is Lindell’s lyrics, however, that put him heads and tails above his contemporaries. His raspy vocals provide a smooth coat of soul over lyrics that will tug at even the stingiest of heartstrings. Most remarkable is Lindell’s power to transplant listeners to a hot, humid New Orleans summer night in one of the famous jazz clubs that line Frenchmen Street. That, right there, is the true beauty of music.