COREY GLOVER’S “THE SOUL EXPERIENCE” AT SMALL BATCH CELLARS

By: Kat Gullage

​Who’s my favorite singer? The answer is always unwaveringly Corey Glover. He’s most well known as the frontman of the Grammy award winning group Living Colour, but here’s some shit ya probably didn’t know about rock’s most versatile and beloved vocalist. He portrayed Francis in Oliver Stone’s film Platoon alongside Charlie Sheen and toured with Jesus Christ Superstar as Judas Iscariot. As Reverend Daddy Love, he formed the band Vice and released the poignant LP “Hymns” and a fan-funded sequel, “The Pledge”. Lent his voice and toured with bands Galactic and Soul Rebels Brass Band. Teamed up with the beast on the axe, George Lynch (Dokken, Lynch Mob) to form Ultraphonix, launched the record “Original Human Music”. Formed the metal outfit Disciples Of Verity with members of Sekond Skyn which delivered the album “Pragmatic Sanction”. Oh still not enough Blegh! for you raging metalheads? Corey appears on the track “400 Beats Per Minute” from our local Massachusetts metal haranguers, Inverter. One last fact: He is not related to actor Danny Glover. I’m guessing that’s number one on his FAQ list.

I caught The Soul Experience set, which I’ve seen multiple times. They change up the setlist so it’s always truly a new experience. They perform tributes of soul classics and Living Colour tunes. The ensemble opened with Stevie Wonder’s “You Haven’t Done Nothin’” before sliding into “Lowball Express” (Hymns) which morphed into Miles Davis’ “Milestones”. Corey’s bandmates are talented musicians and their contributions are key to the transcendent performance. The lineup features Dan Kottman on guitar, Jeremy Baum on keys, Neil Spitzer kickin ass on sax, drummer Cleveland Love and, towering over everyone, Ivan “Funkboy” Bodley on bass. Back to Hymns for the evocative ballad “April Rain”, which Corey delivered flawlessly. The venue was a winery and just enough liquid courage was consumed by the fans to hit the dance floor to the next tune “The Letter”, originally performed by The Box Tops, and there they stayed until the set wrapped with The Stampeders’ “New Orleans” and Sam Cooke’s “Shake!”. The players exited the stage for mere minutes before Bodley returned and encouraged us to get loud. We passed the test. The band reemerged with a special addition. A guitarist. Not just any axeman. Vernon Reid of the band Living Colour. Vernon performed in one of the supergroups at OZZY’s “Back To The Beginning” gig. He consistently makes the top 100 of all the lists ranking guitarists. He is tragically underrated, should be much higher on said surveys. Corey stood on the dance floor and asked Vernon “What are you doin?”, an annoyed and unamused expression on his face. “What are you doin?” Reid fired back, armed with his own Reverend Totem Series Electric Guitar adorned with Talisman signature art. Somehow this signature banter fuses to create amazing music. The encore kicked off with Sam Cooke’s timeless “A Change Is Gonna Come” followed by Bobby Bland’s “Turn On Your Love Light”. Corey remarked “Vernon, we’re gunna do a Living Colour song now”. It was “Love Rears Its Ugly Head” (Time’s Up). The set closed with band member intros, heartfelt thank yous, and a fun version of Muddy Waters’ “Got My Mojo Working”. Need a dose of soul? The kind that might make your great aunt’s panties drop? Highly recommend The Soul Experience.

I’ve seen Corey sing soul, rock, metal, even the National Anthem. Saw him perform “Amazing Grace” in NYC and thought “I can die now”. I would pay to hear him hum while he takes his garbage out. When Corey Cornell James Glover sings, you FEEL that shit in the core(y) of your soul. Have I mentioned he’s my favorite vocalist?

THIS JUST IN: The band One Tribe Nation has announced Corey Glover as its new vocalist. They will be performing 7/25/26 at The Den Studios in LA as part of “The Bluesadelic Sessions”.