Nakia & His Southern Cousins

Photo by Jay West

Nakia & His Southern Cousins

Nakia & His Southern Cousins stir sprinkles of rock, country, and gospel into the stew, but make no mistake, this booming Appalachian-born local blues belter is a soul man all the way, from his bushy beard down to his Budweiser belly. It wasn't quite the tens of thousands that watched Nakia shake his groove thing onstage with Sharon Jones the day before, but he and his band earned several hundred converts with the jumping-jack keys of "Choose Your Poison" and heartbroken ballads "All Over You" and "Making It Up to My Baby." Backed by the Marvelettes-styled dance moves of the Fresh-Up Girls, who were dutifully dressed for Sunday service with white gloves, etc., the Cousins gave Billy Preston's "Will It Go Round in Circles" a soaring workout, while an impassioned cover of Ryan Adams' "Touch, Feel and Lose" brought Nakia to his knees and the crowd to its feet.