Soulsha’s Drops Debut Album: Carry It On

When Soulsha plays their unique amalgam of West African, Celtic, and Funk sounds, there’s no wrong way to dance: Senegalese mbalax, Scottish step dancing, or just moving your body to the groove, it all fits right in. Soulsha’s debut album, Carry It On, spreads the philosophy that staying true to your roots doesn’t mean turning inward, it means opening your ears to the world’s sounds and letting them move you.

Soulsha grew from a mission shared by founders Elias Alexander and Neil Pearlman: to bring out the groove in the Scottish music they both grew up with. “Time in New Orleans tuned my ear differently, so I started hearing the syncopated rhythms in Scottish tunes,” Elias explains. “Most of the Celtic fusion I hear tends to stick to “four on the floor” rhythms. I wondered, why isn’t there a Scottish funk fusion band?”

The name Soulsha is a pun on the Gaelic word soillse, which means ray of light. Elias hopes Carry it On spreads some light for listeners: “I would love people to come away hearing the funk in Scottish music and the beauty of sabar, and maybe getting inspired to dig into their own traditions. Soulsha is about everyone feeling uplifted, safe, and allowed to be themselves.

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