Thee Sacred Souls at the Ogden

Thee Sacred Souls expertly controlled the room Friday night at the Ogden Theatre on Colfax.

The four musicians and trio of vocalists pulled the audience in close for musings on love and loss, and turned on a dime to unleash joyous grooves during a headlining display of their unique yet familiar style.

“We need some help on this one,” lead vocalist Joshua Lane said as he walked onstage just past 10 p.m., the band behind him already in full swing.

The audience was right on cue.

“I got a little taste of your love the other day,” Lane along with vocalists Tatiana Sandate and Astyn Turrentine sang onstage, with a chorus of hundreds backing them.

Thee Sacred Souls opened the Ogden show with the 2021 original “Will I See You Again?,” a crowd favorite. The group played Globe Hall in Denver last September, with many fans back for more this year in the larger setting.

The band is bassist Sal Samano, drummer Alex Garcia, guitarist Shay Stulz and keyboardist Riley Dunn. They come together like glue, complementing each other’s soothing playing with nostalgic tones and thoughtful movements between their original songs.

When the music quiets after each number, allowing Lane to speak on his views of love, it takes a moment to catch yourself and readjust. It’s easy to feel lost in time and place while the band harmonizes and delicately blends motown rhythms with poignant vocals.

The packed crowd singing along and graciously showing love to the band after each tune brings you back to reality after Thee Sacred Souls transport you to another, more sentimental place for a few minutes. That cycle repeated itself throughout the hour-and-a-half performance at the Ogden.

“The longer you stay on this earth you start to realize you have equal opportunity to be the protagonist and the antagonist of your own love story,” Lane said introducing the song “For Now” off the band’s 2022 release.

Thee Sacred Souls don’t shy away from heartache. Their music focuses on love, yet has a reverence for the fear and growth that can come hand-in-hand with it. The grittier, more honest approach to love songs makes you want to listen deeply and reflect while they perform.

It’s a winning formula, and the band also knows when to turn it up a notch.

Midway through the night as they tuned up the start of “Running Away,” a single released in March, Lane slipped offstage. He appeared on the Ogden balcony stage right, weaving through the crowd and whipping up a frenzy as he performed the band’s newest release.

He perched in the center of the room atop the balcony, and lead the crowd through the full song from there.

Lane completed his lap and landed onstage behind Turrentine’s microphone as “Runnin’” ended. Turrentine took center stage. She smiled and fanned herself, the singers exchanged glances and the band dropped into a cover of The Fuzz’s “I Love You for all Seasons.”

The Fuzz track was released in 1971 and popularized more recently as a sample in the 21 Savage track “a lot,” produced by J. White Did It and Dahi. Thee Sacred Souls on Friday created a dreamy space with their version, a surprising and welcome cool down after rousing the crowd into a dance party one song prior.

Thee Sacred Souls music stirs up a sentimental appreciation for life. While the band consciously acknowledges that the past has an effect on how we live and love today, their eyes are on the road ahead. Turrentine joined the band on vocals within the past year, stepping in for Jensine Benitez who took on a solo career in April. 

Thee Sacred Souls show no signs of slowing down, and are sure to draw in even more lifelong fans when on their next return to Denver.

Thee Sacred Souls continue their West Coast tour through October before embarking on a European leg, which begins Oct. 21 at the Stockholm Jazz Festival.

The band’s remaining U.S. tour includes a stop at the Gorge supporting Dave Matthews Band and a night at the Greek in Los Angeles. Visit their site https://www.theesacredsouls.com/ for details and ticketing.