It has taken me way too long to write about one of the best bands currently in Detroit, that being Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas who I had the pleasure of seeing again Friday night. I had already wanted to head down to the River Days festival to begin with, but when I saw Hernandez and her band were playing the main stage Friday evening, it was a no-brainer.
So far Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas have only released one EP, last year's "Weird Looking Women In Too Many Clothes", which was a self-release. I've been trying to track down a physical copy of the CD for awhile and was thrilled when she announced near the end of the set that her aunt had a box with copies of the CD for $10. It's nice to finally have these five songs (plus a Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. remix) on an official CD.
The band played for roughly an hour. When we got there they were in the middle of one of my favorites, "Neck Tattoo" which sadly is not on the EP, but hopefully will make it to their first full length.They did however hit on the entire EP, including "Moonstruck", "Face Off" and "Gone In Two Seconds".
A real highlight of the set was the performance of "In The City". Already a boisterous song that is impossible to sit still for, the performance was bolstered by a young girl from the audience brought onstage to dance. About halfway through the song, Hernandez stepped out from behind her keyboard to join the girl at the side of the stage to sing and dance with her for the remainder of the song. It couldn't have been a more adorable moment and definitely got the crowd more involved with their set. How you could not be moved into action by this band to begin with is beyond me. Hernandez' voice is out of this world, stunning even more-so that it comes from such a tiny figure onstage. Hearing her speak in between songs then belt into action when singing is a thing to behold. It is almost hard to believe that bold, amazing voice comes from the same woman, but what a singer she is.
It's hard to describe the type of music Hernandez and the Deltas play as they touch upon so many genres, with songs often going through different movements and passages, dipping their toes into all manner of musical styles. There is surely a pop base to a lot of these songs, making them catchy and accessible, but they can just as easily veer into blues or jazz or soul at the drop of a hat. There truly is no one else making music like this in Metro Detroit right now, and it is an irresistible, refreshing sound that is deserving of wider recognition. That may just be coming, as her aunt said they are on the cusp of signing a record deal which could not be more deserved. Catch them around town while you can, they truly should be the next act out of this city to make it into the national music scene in a big way.
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