Lady Sunshine and the X Band

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Slick Rick Humesky announces, “It’s star time!” He introduces Lady Sunshine as “creator of such tunes as ‘Man Trouble’ [horns and cymbals blast a single beat], ‘The Hairdresser’ [blast!], ‘Losin’ Track of Time’ [blast!] . . .” It’s an intro almost worthy of James Brown. And what could be more appropriate for this powerful blues and R&B performer? When Lady Sunshine takes center stage, the crowd knows the party has begun, and she knows how to work it.

It’s no surprise this fourteen-year-old band is a fan favorite at local outdoor festivals. These musicians are so tight, they seem to read each other’s minds. Who can resist dancing along with the horn section’s synchronized shuffle? And when you hear those lowest notes on the baritone sax, the funk catches fire. These veterans know the conventions of their craft and make the most of familiar rhythm-and-blues riffs.

But as good as the X Band is, there’s a reason Lady Sunshine is the star—and not just that she can belt out the blues like only a scorned woman can. Yes, she puts on a show, revving up the crowd and the musicians with her full-bodied vocals. But it’s her original material that takes her beyond a talented genre performer to a modern woman storyteller. She expands the traditional blues composition to reveal complex female characters fed up with philandering husbands, tempting lovers, and men who want only one thing. She is funny and irreverent, sassy and naughty, smart and heartbroken.