Little Barrie delivers soul, not slickness

If Little Barrie is rarely mentioned among the current wave of Brit bands such as Bloc Party and Kaiser Chiefs, that's likely because it sounds nothing like that parade of jangly, post-punk revivalists. On its debut, ''We Are Little Barrie," released this week, this London trio crafts its rawboned style from vintage American soul and blues but pulls it off with such cheek the band sounds far more authentic than derivative.

''It's a combination of things we've all been into," says lead singer and guitarist Barrie Cadogan, speaking on a misbehaving cellphone while awaiting a Los Angeles-bound flight from New York's Kennedy Airport.

''I think a lot of records in the past 20 years have been quite badly produced and don't have a lot of clarity or humanity," he says. ''A lot of our favorite music has a kind of raw sound, anything from classic soul to the Beastie Boys. We like to catch the rawness and freshness of things."

Throughout its 13-track album, Little Barrie, which includes drummer-singer Wayne Fulwood and bassist Lewis Wharton, summons a juicy groove with songs so accomplished they sound as if they must have been originally made years ago. Still, accomplished doesn't mean slick -- songs such as ''Free Salute," the latest single, and ''Greener Pastures" are sandblasted of any excess, and show more of the spontaneity of a late-night jam than something made overly precious in a studio. Arguably, the best of the lot is ''Be the One." All sputtering guitar and chatty snare drums, the song, with faint echoes of the Allman Brothers' ''Whipping Post," and Jimi Hendrix's ''Manic Depression," is absurdly good.

Cadogan credits producer Edwyn Collins, perhaps best known in the States for his 1994 alternative radio hit, ''A Girl Like You," for helping the band shape its sound. The trio are fans of Collins's former band Orange Juice, and were especially influenced by Collins's 1994 solo album, ''Gorgeous George."

''We loved the production on his records," Cadogan says, ''so we were really lucky that he was willing to work with us." (In February, Collins suffered a brain hemorrhage and is recovering in England. His production duties were completed before he fell ill.)

More than 20 years ago, Daniel Glass, a young A&R executive at Chrysalis Records tried to sign Orange Juice to a deal. Glass is now president and chief executive officer of Artemis Records, Little Barrie's label. Glass was introduced to the band's music when a young colleague brought him a 45 of the band's song ''Burned Out."

''I thought it was great. It reminded me of when I first started collecting records, and those early Stones records, which were very R&B oriented, and Little Barrie is very R&B and blues influenced," Glass says. ''I organized a trip to see the band in London last summer, and when we got there, the club was packed. It was rocking. After the show we hung out, shot pool, and we eventually signed them."

Given the band's unique sound, Glass believes Little Barrie will be best served if its reputation is allowed to build organically. Being different ''was great for Norah Jones. Hopefully, we'll do well with this, but you can't hype it. It has to be word-of-mouth, it has to be pure."

Growing up in Nottingham, England, Cadogan discovered vintage 45s owned by his uncle. He was instantly moved by the music of Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, and later Chuck Berry and B.B. King. Around the same time, he got his first guitar, although he quickly realized that soul music wasn't the most likely place for a budding guitar virtuoso. (His guitar skills are so admired, he played on Morrissey's ''You Are the Quarry" tour when the singer's regular guitarist got sick. To prepare for the gig, Cadogan learned more than two dozen songs in two days.)

''With soul music, people think of the band as a whole, or maybe even think about the horns and voices as the key thing," he says. ''But I found the soul records really inspiring because they're more subtle, but incredibly effective. Guitar players like Cornell Dupree [who played with King Curtis] and Steve Cropper [who played with Sam & Dave, Booker T. & the MGs, and cowrote Pickett's soul classic, 'In the Midnight Hour'], their guitar parts were a lot more rhythmical than the conventional rock guitar players. I liked the sound of it -- it's looser, it's funkier."

That loose, funky style also influences Cadogan as a singer. He tosses off lyrics with an off-kilter soulfulness that both masks his voice's limitations and complements the music's frayed edges.

''Vocally, I don't really consider myself to be a virtuoso singer by any means. This is really the first time I've ever sung,' he says. ''But again, it's a rhythmic thing, and I really like the people who sing more rhythmically like Chuck Berry or Bob Dylan or Bobbie Gentry [best known for the 1967 country crossover hit 'Ode to Billie Joe'] and Tony Joe White [a country singer who wrote the Brook Benton hit, 'Rainy Night in Georgia.']"

Cadogan is proud that Little Barrie achieves its sound with just three musicians, joining a proud tradition of power trios from Cream to Nirvana. It's a stripped, rangy sound that's also powerful and substantial.

''Sometimes, the less you have, the more potent it can be," Cadogan said. ''In the past, on those rockabilly records, there's just a stand-up bass, a guitar, and drums, and it was just about capturing it in the right way. It is more challenging because you have to be more creative and work more on your own dynamics, but it also leaves space and lets the music breathe as well."

Lizz Wright plays Scullers tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20. Call 617-562-4111.