Delta Spirit

History From Below

Rounder Records

Delta Spirit is no stranger to San Diego — or success. The band formed a few years ago here in our own backyard, and wasted no time in releasing critically acclaimed debut Ode to Sunshine. Now, after three long years on the road — including a headlining spot at Warren Live — sophomore effort History From Below is finally complete.

Recorded in Tom Waits’ exclusive Prairie Sun Studios and produced by My Morning Jacket’s Bo Kester, Delta Spirit’s rhythmic blues-rock has been edited by seasoned ears that perfect every ounce of their homegrown melodies — ensuring the band lives up to their namesake.

The album itself is a scrapbook of personal accounts, from lead singer Matthew Vasquez’ tale of heartbreak on “Bushwick Blues” — about the one person he just can’t seem to scrape from his memory — to the real-life revenge of Russian Vitaly Kaloyev’s for the death of his family on “Ballad of Vitaly.”

With a zippy tempo and shout-along verses, “Bushwick” is rife with emotional growls and croons that gush freely from Vasquez’s lungs — and, along with them, an air of true country soul.

The band has packaged a winning combination: Heartwrenching vocals from an honest front-porch songbook, paired with aggressive acoustic guitar, country-tinged harmonicas and galloping drums — all radiating a timeless energy that becomes the intangible highlight of Below. The album finds a happy medium between intimate and larger-than-life — not without the help of those who know both best.