Posted on 08/14/2009
If charm were everything, The Pepper Pots would be huge. They make relentlessly upbeat soul that recalls, or rather rips off, the likes of The Supremes, Dusty Springfield and every good song written by Holland/Dozier/Holland. And you’ve got to admire a group who have the stones to call a record that wears its retro heart on its sleeve Now! But no matter how beautiful The Pepper Pots’ music, no matter how impeccably it’s performed, it lacks that one vital ingredient that their inspirations had in spades: soul.

Everything is in the right place – they’ve got good voices, the vocal arrangements are spot on, the band is tight (produced by Daptone stalwart Binky Griptite) and there’s a dusting of string and xylophones and to give it that extra ring of authenticity - but somehow it just doesn’t feel right. It’s just too clean. Loss, love, happiness and sadness are all treated with the same perma-grin and relentlessly upbeat tone. While The Pepper Pots might be admired for their positive outlook, it just renders the music a little flat.

It’s a shame, because for the first few songs, it’s genuinely invigorating. Right from the first, instantly familiar, bar of “Real Tru Love” you know exactly what you’re in for. Good old-fashioned soul, perfectly delivered. That’s exactly the problem. Beyond that there’s no variation, no surprises, nothing at all unexpected. There are a couple of unconvincing excursions into ska in “Dream Guy” and “Take A Chance,” but for the rest it’s full steam ahead with that classic Motown sound. Which as honourable as its intentions and execution are, swiftly begins to tire after five or six songs.

Ultimately, you’re left wondering who The Pepper Pots really are beyond a girl group in love with the sixties who sing very well together. In the video for their single “Time To Live,” there’s a section where they recreate some of the record sleeves that inspired them, including Cloud Nine and Live at the Apollo featuring all the Motown heavyweights. Being The Pepper Pots, they do it all with a spring in their step and a smile on their face. But rather than marvelling at their cheek, you’re left wondering why they just don’t try and do their own thing rather than replicate other people’s glory.

- Will Georgi