St. Louis band the Jungle Fire comes into its own garage funk own with "Brothers and Sisters," a collective cry for justice and a declaration of pride -- all set to monster bass, tough flute (yes, it's possible) and a whole lot of soul.

After a dreary weekend in St. Louis, Charles Bradley arrived with a surplus of soulshine Sunday night at the Old Rock House.

The impassioned, lo-fi, time-changing soul of "Lady, You Shot Me," the latest from Har Mar Superstar, marks a powerful and persuasive departure for Sean Tillmann and company.

Since forming in 2005, Monophonics have been known as one of San Francisco's foremost funk and retro-soul groups and Big Brother Thunder and the MasterBlasters have been putting some shake and bump into their home St. Louis audiences for a while now.

The Monophonics brought St. Louis a dose of soul and funk music last night at the Old Rock House.

Lee Fields and the Expressions exhibit soul preserved and done right, understated by tough love and good times.

It's probably not going to happen any time soon, but should the Flaming Lips ever jam with Prince they should pay close attention to Jamie Lidell on the new track "What a Shame." Space-age psychedelic funk rarely hits so hard and catchy.

T Bird and the Breaks quenches your thirst for gritty funk and soul while mixing in a hip-hop flavor.

"The One: The Life and Music of James Brown"
RJ Smith
Gotham Books

"The One: The Life and Music of James Brown" is without a doubt the definitive work on one of the most significant and influential figures in 20th century popular music.

Valentine's Day may be the day of love and romance, but for those in attendance at the Pageant on Thursday, it was a night to get funky, with or without a partner.