Since the Needle and I started this blog, I’ve been meaning to post about my favorite local band, The Urban Sophisticates. Based out of Greensboro, NC Urban is officially composed of six members, two on vocals, and others on trumpet, trombone, drums and bass guitar. Brothers Benton & Aaron James perform the vocals – Benton tackling MC duties, while Aaron brings an R&B and soul influence to the tracks. Due to the sound and size of the group, they naturally gain multiple comparisons to the Roots.
The Urban Sophisticates – “3 Minute Promo Video”
At a Talib Kweli show my senior year of high school I was able to catch the group open and was captivated by their unique, professional sound. Live, the group brings incredible energy and enthusiasm to their performance – some songs are outright dance parties, others become much jazzier, smoother and mellow. After the performance, I picked up both a cd and a t-shirt – in large part because I was hooked by their song, “Chapel Hill.” As a proud Chapel Hill/Carrboro native, I loved the song dedicated to marrying a girl from my hometown.
The Urban Sophisticates – “Chapel Hill”
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On disc, their sound is much more laid back and darker – but equally addicting. The album I picked up, “Coward’s Anthem,” is my favorite output of theirs and truly deserves acclaim. Each song fits well within the sound of the album and its completely void of filler. Refreshingly, Benton’s lyrics are not laced with arrogance and anger like stereotypical hip-hop lyrics – but rather speak to insecurity, struggles, and topics more relateable to a wide-spectrum audience. Since being put on to the group I’ve tried to make the majority of their concerts at the Cradle – and traveled to Greensboro to see them open for Talib Kweli a second time.
The Urban Sophisticates – “We Can Watch It All”
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By far the most impressive part of the band to me is they are truly great people. I don’t know them at all personally – though I did have a run in prior to a show. I had shown up much earlier than the band was supposed to perform, early enough that the club they were performing at was still serving dinner. Recognizing I was out of place and there for the show, the band invited me to eat dinner with them before they performed. Needless to say, their hospitality was much appreciated. Its obvious from their shows that this large group of diverse musicians truly just loves making music together – and the crowd definitely feeds off it.
The Urban Sophisticates – “I’m Feelin’ It”
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I’m not going to post too much of their music – as you can buy it on iTunes – so I greatly encourage you to pick it up. Also, for local readers – they’ll be playing a show February 17th with other local hip-hop acts Inflowential, Kaze, & the Beast.
Posted by the Groove
