Having paid her dues belting out the hits for tourists in the tropics, Cain delivers bona fide east coast soul on her second album. When she releases the hounds vocally on the title song, domesticity breaks into a spiritual. Cain’s chemistry with her band enriches the the atmosphere, not unlike Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. Guitarist Norman Love and bassist Rheo Rochon co-wrote most of the album with the singer. A few lyrics are underwritten and repetitive, like “On and On.” Rochon’s “Breathe Easy” benefits from an exchange between the sturdy Cain pipes and Love’s taut fretwork. Surging past any limitations, Soul Food raises the bar for quality recordings by local artists.
This article appears in Nov 7-13, 2013.