Courtesy Q Division Records

Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed stands out in most any crowd with his tailored sharkskin suit, freshly shined leather shoes and classically swooped brylcreamed hair. When he takes the stage with his seven-to-nine piece soul-and-R&B outfit, the True Loves, this effect is only intensified.

Reed is, in many ways, an anomaly in today’s congested music scene. His sound is firmly rooted in 1960s rhythm and blues, complete with booming vocals and soulful horn arrangements. He releases his singles on vinyl and has a penchant for recording in mono.

This sort of modern musical revival is far from a new phenomenon, but there’s something about a white Bostonian in his mid-twenties singing like Sam Cooke that just lends itself towards skepticism.

Luckily, one listen to the blue-eyed soul artist’s howls and soul-shattering shouts is enough to alleviate any suspicions that Reed is part of some elaborate song-and-dance dress-up routine. Reed is no mere imitator; rather he is an artist performing music that makes him ‘- and his audiences ‘- feel good. And he’s doing so with an alarming sense of authenticity.

Always a musical deviant, the fresh-faced Jewish boy from Brookline, Mass., started gravitating towards rhythm and blues at the youngest of ages. He spent his early childhood immersing himself in his music-journalist father’s record collection, favoring the warm crackle of vinyl and the chops of Wilson Pickett and Ray Charles to the mainstream grunge and hip-hop of the early 90s.

By the age of 16, Reed was already hard at work perfecting his craft, spending his days playing guitar and harmonica in Boston‘s Harvard Square for donations.

Following high school, Reed migrated south to the birthplace of the Delta blues, Clarksdale, Miss. During his time in Clarksdale he frequented the local clubs, both as a performer and a pupil. Still in his teens, Reed was already making a name for himself in an area where scrutiny is in no short supply.

As highly influential as the move was, it was ultimately short-lived. Reed moved north to Chicago, Ill., at the request of his parents, only nine months after arriving in Mississippi.

Once in Chicago he quickly found a confidant in 60s soul-singer-turned-ministry-worker Mitty Collier. Shortly after meeting him, Collier offered Reed the position of Minister of Music at her church. Playing the organ in the shoe-tapping evangelical church helped infuse the spirit of traditional gospel music into Reed’s already-cultured blues background.

After a year at the ministry and studying at the University of Chicago, Reed finally returned to Massachusetts. Fresh from his immersion into traditional gospel and blues, he was ready to pursue his own musical career.

Back home, Reed quickly worked to assemble a backing band ‘- the True Loves ‘- while practicing in the basement of a three-bedroom duplex in Allston, Mass. During this time he self-released his first record, ‘Sings ‘Walkin’ and Talkin’ (For My Baby)’ and Other Smash Hits,’ a collection of original and covered material recorded in ‘- you guessed it ‘- mono. A string of local performances in the Boston area helped build a substantial following, fueled by word of mouth and Reed’s fiery stage presence. As the local shows grew in size, the band began hitting the road, touring extensively across the country. ‘ ‘

In the spring of 2008, Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed & the True Loves issued their second full-length, ‘Roll with You,’ on Boston-based Q Division Records. The album is full of Reed’s mixture of R&B bravado and soulful crooning. The True Loves provide the perfect accompaniment, brimming with energy throughout the album’s horn-driven numbers. The album, matched with incessant touring and the group’s enthusiastic live show, has brought the band considerable atte
ntion in recent months.

Reed has come along ways from playing street corners and Allston basements. Performances at SXSW and Lollapalooza have been accompanied by features on NPR and in Rolling Stone among other top media outlets. Sunday’s performance at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton marks the last stop on his current 18-day U.S.-tour. A month-long trek across Europe is scheduled to start in mid-April and a new album is slated for release in the fall.

With every stop and story Reed’s true merits seem to grow exponentially. Imitation may be the most sincere form of flattery, but for ‘Paperboy’ & the True Loves, innovation is proving to be the most soulful.

Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed & the True Loves perform Sunday, March 29, with opening act Jenny Dee and the Deelinquents at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton. Tickets are $12.50 in advance and $15 at the door. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. The Iron Horse Music Hall is located at 20 Center St.

Brian Wood can be reached at bwood@dailycollegian.com.

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