Davina & the Vagabonds ready new live album from the Dakota

Hear the live version of "Pocket" featured on the album, "Nicollet and Tenth," due out March 25.

February 26, 2016 at 4:36PM
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Davina Sowers and her band the Vagabonds are regulars at the Dakota in Minneapolis. / Photo courtesy TPT
Davina Sowers and her band the Vagabonds are regulars at the Dakota in Minneapolis. / Photo courtesy TPT (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

With them headed back to the Dakota this Friday and Saturday night for another two-night stand at their hometown venue of choice, it seems like a good time to break the news that Davina & the Vagabonds' next album will be a live collection recorded at – you guessed it – the Dakota.

The Southern-baked, hard-working, harder-boogieing soul-rock big band will issue "Nicollet and Tenth" on March 25, an 18-song set recorded over various nights at the address referred to in the tile. Songs on it include the title tracks of the group's two prior studio albums, "Sunshine" and "Black Cloud," other choice originals such as "Lipstick and Chrome" and "Pocket," plus a couple of the New Orleans standards they often throw into the mix, "Ain't That a Shame" and "His Eye Is On the Sparrow." Those two studio albums showed off frontwoman Davina Sowers' prowess as a vocalist and songwriter, but neither fully captured the energy of the live band. So the album makes perfect sense.

Here's the version of "Pocket" from the live collection posted below. Pre-orders are now available with special bonus bundles on the group's site.

The Dakota is also where TPT taped its "MN Original" profile on Sowers & Co. After this weekend's four Dakota shows (7 and 9 p.m. each night, $15), the group has a bevy of tour dates ranging from West Virginia to Seattle in March and then will be back to play a proper hometown release party on April 24. You can probably guess the venue.

about the writer

about the writer

Chris Riemenschneider

Critic / Reporter

Chris Riemenschneider has been covering the Twin Cities music scene since 2001, long enough for Prince to shout him out during "Play That Funky Music (White Boy)." The St. Paul native authored the book "First Avenue: Minnesota's Mainroom" and previously worked as a music critic at the Austin American-Statesman in Texas.

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