Victoria Reed’s ‘Chariot’ Ride at Rockwood Music Hall

Victoria Reed / photo by Rebekah Campbell

Detroit native and Williamsburg resident Victoria Reed’s performance at Rockwood Music Hall’s Stage 3 on March 3rd was an impressive one. A de facto release party for her debut CD, Chariot, the show was also a solid final warm-up for her 14-city tour opening for fellow Brooklyn transplant Citizen Cope.

Victoria Reed / photo by Ester Segretto

Backed by a tight, four-piece band, Reed’s stage presence was engaging and her singing sweetly expressive, with a hint of Jenny Lewis here and maybe an echo of Alanis Morissette there, as well as an occasional twang that was more Music City than Motor City.

Eight of the nine songs Reed performed can be found on her just-released debut album, Chariot, including the title cut, which led off the evening as it does the CD, setting a positive tone for both with lyrics such as “Let go and let flow / I want to tell you that you’re not alone.”

Among the evening’s other numbers were “Make It Easy,” which she described to the audience as “a kind of letter from my future self, telling me to relax”; “All My Power,” a song “all about belonging to yourself,” which was powerfully rendered by Reed and the band,  and “Love You,” an unabashed love song that just happens to mention Brooklyn in the lyrics.

Another highlight, “I Decide,” a high-energy number that Reed told the crowd was inspired by sessions with her therapist, was written after the Chariot album was completed. Judging from the enthusiastic response it generated from the crowd, it’s sure to find a place on her next recording.

Chariot -Album Art

All 10 songs on the Chariot album were written by Reed and recorded at Studio G in Greenpoint. The CD marks not only her debut, but also the launch of a new Brooklyn-based label, Botanica Records. Regarding the 26-year-old Reed’s musical DNA, she is the daughter of Alto Reed, long-time saxophone player in Bob Seger’s Silver Bullet Band.