NAC Fans Sweet On Delta Sugar

November 18, Samantha Martin and Delta Sugar played the NAC Fourth Stage, and the intimate setting leant itself to a great show for the 10 piece band. Samantha is exploring a new sound, taking Delta Sugar from a 5 piece to a 10 piece, and it works! Samantha’s roots/soul/blues sound has just been taken up a couple of notches.

Samantha has a voice that has been compared to the likes of Mavis Staples or Tina Turner and is very soulful on its own, but with the exquisite harmonies of Sherie Marshall and Mwansa Mwansa, it becomes magical. These three can give you chills on their own, but when you add Mikey McCallum and Curtis Chaffey on guitar, Darcy Yates on bass, Dani Nash on drums and Shamus Currie on keyboards, you have an all new sound that must be experienced to be believed. Then, when you add a brand new horn section, you get a more full and richer dimension to the overall sound. Another positive of adding all this new personnel is that it is giving Samantha a chance to shed her own guitar and explore her extensive talents as a front person. With Samantha’s easy going stage presence, mixing in a few funny stories between songs and interacting with the audience makes her an undeniable success.

Her original material stands strong on its own with songs like “Addicted”, “Don’t Shoot” and “When You Walk Away”, but there are often a few standard gospel/blues numbers mixed in such as her current show opener, “John The Revelator”. Sam even goes back to a prior band, Samantha Martin and the Haggard and pulls out “Dark Angel”, about someone trying to do good, but not always making it. The second set of the show revolved around songs from Samantha’s new album, due out in the new year called Run To Me. The show came to a close with a version of the Tina Turner hit, “River Deep, Mountain High” that I’m sure would be approved by Tina herself!

Samantha Martin and Delta Sugar have recently won a competition through the Toronto Blues Society which gives them the privilege of representing Toronto in Memphis TN. At the International Blues Challenge. This is a very prestigious event for anyone in the business. There will be a fund raising show in Toronto to help Samantha get her 10 piece band down there. The show will take place on December 9th at Gypsy Soul Headquarters at the Ildsjel Collective interactive performance space (parking is free and on site). Beverages will be available for purchase. There are only a handful of tickets available – so don’t wait to get yours. If you are in the Toronto area, please help to support this very worthy event.

It is not everyday you see a performer with this kind of talent and passion onstage and that’s what makes her a must see! For more on Samantha Martin visit www.samanthamartinmusic.com

More Photos