Written by John Book. From okayplayer

"Soulive may be one of the greatest secrets in soul and funk music today, even though they've been recording and touring for the last ten years. They were signed to Blue Note, did a track with Black Thought and Talib Kweli, became independent again, found a home at Stax, incorporated a vocalist into the lineup, and yet these guys are still a mystery to the general populace. But you know, let them be a mystery and let them continue to record and play some of the best music you'll hear today. Making music often means taking hints from the past, and for Up Here the band gets all Northern Soul on us. The sound also feels like perhaps they're performing in quanset huts in New Orleans in order to get in touch with a junkanoo. If anything, it's definitely a celebration of sorts.

Up Here for the most part sounds like an album recorded in the late 60's or early 70's, or perhaps something you'd hear within the Daptone, Desco, or Soul Fire discographies. Put together a horn section, tight arrangements, and songs like "Up Right" and "The Swamp" begin to feel like long lost James Brown recordings from the vaults. Nigel Hall handles the vocals on this album, and if "Too Much" is any indication, he should become a star in his own right. He has the kind of attitude and swagger that may bring to mind Eddie Bo, Lee Fields, and Al Green, and the only time one can tell this is a modern recording is when the background vocals kick in, which sound too clean compared to the compressed sound that dominates the album.

If D'Angelo had cashed in on the Northern Soul vibe in recent years, his music would probably sound very much like what Soulive and Hall do here, especially with the hyper dance track "Tonight." What you also hear is how much stronger drummer Alan Evans, bassist Neal Evans, and guitarist Eric Krasno have become over the years. That's not to say they were ever weak, but as great as their Blue Note albums were, Up Here puts them to shame. Maybe it's the newness, maybe it's how they execute their songs, or maybe they're just that damn good. They can completely change their sound with each album, if not each song. This album is a mixed bag of sounds that is somehow cohesive, perhaps because of the bond Soulive shares as musicians, friends, and brothers. If this somehow became the last album they ever recorded, then they would leave behind one of the best musical statements they've ever made."