Full of Soul and Inspiration, The Sweet Divines Live Up to Their Name

The Sweet Divines, four young ladies who sing old school soul, live up to the expectations raised by their evocative, self-descriptive name. This is no easy feat considering that the name also pays homage to a legendary soul quartet, the Sweet Inspirations. “They are our number one influence,” says vocalist Jennie Wasserman. “They were the best ever.” Backed by J.B. Flatt’s sizzling Divine Soul Rhythm Band, this fantastic foursome is doing their idols proud.

The Sweet Divines are part of Brooklyn’s burgeoning soul revival scene, which includes some of the group’s favorite local acts, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Lee Fields and Eli “Paperboy” Reed. Their soulful sojourn began in 2007 when Flatt and Wasserman were auditioning new talent for the Dansettes. Pamela Quinn, Ashley Vitha and Heather Wolfe were all impressive, but in the middle of the process the Dansettes disbanded.

The four women persevered, getting together in Flatt’s Brooklyn basement “for a little jam session around the piano,” says Wasserman. “It was magic. The personal and musical connections were obvious right away. We all grew up singing music that allows us to emote, tell stories and connect with an audience.” Thus the Sweet Divines were born.

Flatt defines the group’s sound as “southern soul in the tradition of the stuff being recorded in Memphis, Muscle Shoals and New Orleans in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s.” They revere that era because “It was a magic moment in American music when there was a lot of cross-pollination between genres.”  The Sweet Divines are not a nostalgia act, however. Most of their material is original songs written by Flatt, who adds, “The majority of the people in our audience weren’t even around to appreciate this music back then.”

The group would be gratified, though, if their music garners appreciation for some of the performers who inspired them, including the aforementioned Sweet Inspirations, as well as Aretha Franklin, Doris Duke, Bettye Swann, Dusty Springfield, Etta James, the Staple Singers, Allen Toussaint and Eddie Bo. Among the influential artists with whom they’ve been honored to play are Maxine Brown, Betty Harris, Tami Lynn, Otis Clay, Howard Tate, Billy Prince and Renaldo Domino. The influence of such talent is clearly apparent within the first 15 seconds of Sweet Divines numbers such as Don’t You Ever and Honeythistle and Heckuva Man. You can listen to the latter on our BK Play jukebox.

Wasserman acknowledges the Sweet Divines’ debt to Brooklyn’s nurturing environment. “There are venues and open-minded audiences that are really receptive to the type of music we do,” she says. “It’s hard to imagine something like Dig Deeper [Southpaw’s monthly ‘60s soul party] or the Brooklyn Soul Festival happening anywhere else right now.”

The Divines encourage fellow performers, especially newcomers, to bring their act to Brooklyn. “When artists are starting out, they need venues and audiences that will take a chance on them, places where they can make mistakes and grow,” says Flatt. “Brooklyn is great for that.” Two of their favorite Brooklyn venues are Southpaw, where they wowed the crowd on Dec. 3, and The Bell House, where they helped revelers ring in the New Year.