Soul Stew was scheduled to hit the Jazz Street stage at 7:15, so when it still wasn't playing at 7:30 I, and I imagine others in the crowd, was getting a little antsy. However, even though the band didn't start until 7:40, it was well worth the wait. I must admit that the musical stew didn't quite excite my taste buds during the first song, until the band added the last ingredient, vocalist Michael Dunston. Once he jumped into the mix it felt like this was a musical dish worth savoring.

It didn't take long for the band to get the rest of the crowd to dig its flavor. Throughout the set many audience members were singing, and a few got up to shake their money makers. With songs like "Come and Get Your Love," "It's Your Thing," and "Gonna Have a Funky Good Time" it isn't hard to get the crowd to sing and dance along. However, Dunston added some special spices to the pot that really got the crowd asking for seconds. 

He tossed in lyrics like, "We've got a brand new funky president" to one song, and during "A Change is Gonna Come" sang, "A change has come ... I wouldn't be standing here today without Barack Obama." It was a gentle tug on the heart strings of many audience members, including mine.

I'm heading back tomorrow night to check out the Po Boys Brass Band and, of course, Booker T. and the M.G.'s. -- BY JESSE HANUS