Arriving at the High Noon Saloon the evening of October 16th, it was obvious that the night would be a success – the audience’s excitement was absolutely infectious. A woman sitting near the front was clearly having a wonderful time. When asked her opinion on the band playing, she giddily replied, “I don’t even know their name, and I already like them!” Although the group in question was merely opening the show, mere is the last word I would use to describe its unique sound. This opening act, JT & the Clouds, was the brother band of the headlining group, Po’ Girl.

A self-described “jam band,” JT & the Clouds blew the audience away. Its lead singer, Jeremy Linsey, had an impressively flexible voice, spanning a wide range of pitches while leading listeners down a lyrically soulful path. Speaking of soul, there was more than enough to go around between JT’s six members, whose instruments included the keyboard, bass, saxophone and drums, among others.

The show was just getting started, and already the audience was enraptured. By the time Po’ Girl took the stage, everyone was dancing in their chairs, and Allison Russell began to sing. Her voice washed over us like honey – pure and sweet, but with a sadness that belied the sugar.

The counterpart to Allison’s soulful soprano was Awna Teixeira’s beautiful, throaty alto. Russell and Teixeira (from Montreal and Toronto, respectively), both overcame harrowing childhoods, and have made this band the masterpiece that it is today. Po’ Girl is complete with members Mikey “Lightning” August (drums), and Benny Sidelinger (various instruments, including a slide guitar handmade by Sidelinger himself).

When it comes to unity, JT & the Clouds and Po’ Girl have one of the closest musical connections I have seen in a long time; the chemistry between its members was almost palpable. During both bands’ sets, members of the other group were invited onstage to join in, and the outcome certainly did not disappoint. If anything, the sound became even richer. To anyone watching, it was plain to see that they were in complete harmony – and not just the musical kind.

At the end of the finale – with both bands onstage – the crowd was practically begging them to play longer. To the audience’s cries of “one more song,” Allison, Jeremy, and Awna looked at each other and began again. After the last wave of the fast-paced melody left us, they made their way backstage amidst ecstatic applause.

Much to the excitement of the crowd, both bands came back onstage for an encore and ended with a beautiful, co-written piece entitled “Till it’s Gone.” It slowly built up in volume, beginning with the low, soothing voice of Jeremy Linsey, singing “God bless this beautiful morning/ Till it’s gone/ How I’m gonna feel when it goes/ I don’t know/but that’s another song.”

Allison, Awna, and Jeremy came together at the end of the song with “Thank god for the kind of happiness/ You can’t explain,” leaving the audience with hope that the world can change for the better. Everyone should take a page out of the book of JT and Po’ Girl…or just take a gander at their new CD, “The City’s Hot, Yeah the City’s Hot,” which is well worth every penny.

4.5 out of 5 stars