In generations past, Detroit was synonymous with substantive, if sometimes saccharine, soul music. Currently, the Motor City stands for overly indulgent, though mildly addictive, rap-rock, garage-punk blues and urban decay. The Detroit Cobras isn't a motorcyle gang patrolling the city's crime-riddled streets; it's a band that brings divergent musical worlds together. It all starts with lead singer and former exotic dancer Rachel Nagy, who takes a little bit of soul from Tina Turner and lets it ooze through her scotch-and-rocks growl. It doesn't end with the other four Cobras, who play with the tenacity of a Stax session band on deadline. Buzz-sawing through deep-in-the-vaults covers (Otis Redding, Mary Wells) with a punk mentality, the Detroit Cobras represents music's next great hybrid. Let the punk-soul revolution begin.
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