August 20 -26th, 2003

SEATTLE WEEKLY MUSIC AWARDS WINNERS SOUL/R&B

It's a long-established music-industry joke to refer to a washed-up act as "big in Japan." But for Seattle rock-soul-funk juggernaut Maktub, it signals an upward spiral. Last week, the band had the No. 6 single on Tokyo radio with "So Tired," from their newest album, Khronos. They've also recently entered the Commercial AAA (adult album alternative) Top 30 in Radio & Records, an industry trade magazine.

Frontman Reggie Watts has a powerful voice that slips easily from Isaac Hayes baritone to Al Green falsetto, stopping frequently at the Chris Cornell power-howl filling station in between.
Between touring, promotion, and working with other artists, it's difficult to imagine that the band has time to do much else, but Watts has also recently released a solo album, Simplified, on his own NonLinear label; the disc is selling briskly at local shops. Simplified's summery feel cuts back on the ferocity that marks Maktub's live shows in favor of a more streamlined sound. "I really like new wave and pop—really poppy stuff, like Hall and Oates," Watts says. "So I intended to capture that spirit. I wanted to coin a phrase, 'new wave soul,' and try and capture what that sounds like, to see if it works." Still, he has no plans to cut loose from the band that is his hub. As Maktub's powerhouse showing in the poll demonstrates, there's no place like home.
by Michaelangelo Matos