On her latest disc, Back to Boogaloo, recent CL Best of the Bay winner Rebekah Pulley and company step further away from the coffeehouse label and toward a newfound, soul-steeped Americana. Folk was never a four-letter word to the acoustic chanteuse, who could easily coast on her rich, effortless vocals and gorgeous melodies. But Boogaloo is a downright electric outing — a stirring, wry evolution of songwriting and instrumentation that taps roots-rock, blues, old-school country & western, jazz, even gospel. Tracks like "Morning Came Too Soon," "New Mexico" and "1980," with their sensual, judicious arrangements (organ, lap-steel) are earthy soundscapes for Pulley's phrasing. There's no one-upping that voice — but Boogaloo's exceptional players and production match it note for note.
Rebekah Pulley and the Reluctant Prophets w/Ronny Elliott, 9 p.m. Sat., Oct. 4, Ace's Lounge, Bradenton.
This article appears in Oct 1-7, 2008.