Kelly Finnigan & The Atonements in Berlin

Singer, songwriter, musician, producer, and arranger Kelly Finnigan, originally from California, is currently on tour in Europe with his group the Atonements, which consists of musicians from various groups on the Colemine Rercords label, like The Monophonics, Orgone, The Dap Kings, and The True Loves. The raw sound of his retro soul albums “The Tales People Tell” (2019) and “A Lover Was Born” (2024) was brought to the stage of Gretchen last night. And this particular raw and in-your-face sound not only refers to the, let’s say, very authentic, direct and honest instrumentation with seven additional musicians on stage, but also to Kelly’s raunchy soul in his voice.

With a tight band including saxophone, trumpet, and two backup vocalists, Kelly included songs from his two solo albums in a pretty well-rounded set. Tracks from his first album, like “Every Time It Rains” or the crowd-pleasing “Catch Me I’m Falling” were greeted with lots of warm applause from the cheerful audience. I think the overall retro soul (for want of a better description) sound was best communicated in those songs which highlighted the two background vocalists as well. “Be Your Own Shelter” was one of the highlights of the show, but also songs like “Let Me Count The Reasons” made it clear that here’s a serious soul singer at work who tries to convey his stories in the most sonorous way possible. And he clear succeeded with his powerful, sometimes earth-shattering, sometimes very vulnerable, always soulful voice. The group continues its tour right here:

2/12 Cologne – Club Bahnhof Ehrenfeld
2/13 Eupen – Kulturzentrum Alter Schlachthof
2/14 Metz – Les Trinitaires
2/16 Munich – Strom
2/17 Salzburg – Jazzit
2/19 Berne – Dachstock
2/20 Strasbourg – Espace Django
2/21 Tourcoing – Le Grand Mix
2/22 Leuven – COOL Festival