Lulu & The Broadsides - Lulu & The Broadsides

For more than two decades, over the course of a career that took her around the world and back again, singer-songwriter Dayna Kurtz circled back to New Orleans constantly, building a musical community and a fan base until finally, in 2013 she was able to put down roots in the city and make it her home base. And what blossomed from those roots is one of New Orleans – and maybe the world’s – best-kept secrets. For decades, to those in the know, she’s been admired as a writer’s writer and a singer’s singer, and with the Broadsides she’s backed by what can only be called a supergroup of New Orleans aces – James Singleton on bass, (James Booker, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Astral Project) Carlo Nuccio on drums, (Dr. John, Tori Amos) Glenn Hartman (New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars) on keys and Robert Maché (Continental Drifters, Steve Wynn) on guitar.
Dayna’s already carved out a name for herself with a side interest of collecting a repertoire of obscure soul and R&B gems, as well as originals that could have been unearthed from the same record hound’s favorite crypt. Lulu and the Broadsides is where she decides to sizzle, slinging made-for-dancing sets of vintage rhythm and blues with the emphasis on rhythm. Formed in part to respond to demand from New Orleans’ hip, thriving underground dance scene, the band has already been invited to slots at both the French Quarter Festival and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, plus club residencies that dependably pack the dance floor.
This is heart-thumping, pulse-pounding blues for both body and spirit, for joy and desire – scorching ballads for slow grinds side-by-side with red-hot movers to jump and jive to, with a nasty beat and a wild guitar. ~Alison Fensterstock