Tower of Power are built around one of the most recognizable horn sections in popular music, a five-man frontline whose members have lent their sound to everyone from Otis Redding to the Grateful Dead. At La Cigale, those horns lock into an agile rhythm section and a young, charismatic frontman to create something closer to a classic soul revue than a conventional concert: sharp, disciplined and relentlessly funky.
The reference points are obvious. James Brown, sixties R&B, tightly arranged soul with every accent placed exactly where it needs to be. What sets Tower of Power apart is the refusal to let that precision become stiff. The grooves breathe, the horns punch hard without overwhelming the songs, and the whole band moves with the confidence of musicians who know exactly how much force to apply.
Old favourites and newer material are received with equal enthusiasm by a crowd that came to dance. For ninety minutes, inside a hot La Cigale in the middle of Pigalle, the calendar might as well read 1969.
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