Coming off an extended residency at a resort in St. Barths, Evan Goodrow Band [Official Site, MySpace] is resuming the hard north-eastern tour circuit, but not before releasing a collection of live tracks from warmer climates. Goodrow’s trademark blend of soul and funk have always been delectably perfect for the bar scene he frequents in New England and New York, especially in Cambridge where the band calls base, but something different pokes its nose into his sound when surrounded by hot nights and ladies over-imbibing the all inclusive booze: its name is fun, and one can tell from A Night at the Bazbar that the band is having plenty of it.

The disk starts off with Evan asking permission to play some soul music for the bar crowd, and moves straight into “When I Come Back To You,” a low key finger snapper with solid guitar work off of recent release 24 Hour. By the time the second track “I Can See” rolls around, the ambient noise is already growing in response to the dance ready music.

Goodrow is known to include a healthy amount of covers in his sets, and the short set list at the Bazbar is no exception. He makes the old standard “Let’s Get It On” his very own, relying on none of the kitschy hooks of the original. Instead he trusts his own groove, reinventing vocals and creating the modern soulful invitation to lovemaking. The guitars are as sparse and effective on this track as on Jeff Buckley‘s “Hallelujah,” while the rhythm section keeps the arrangement danceable. Evan cut his blues chops on Ray Charles favorite “Drown in My Own Tears” more than effectively without catching himself in the unattractive rut blues can sometimes bring to a barroom of women in evening wear. The saxophone work coming toward the end of the set is a solid compliment to cozy dancing.

The highlight of the night is undoubtably “Get Back,” a track that offers the best of all sides of the band. The silky vocals and jangly guitars bring a classic soul quality to the funk sensibilities that get his fans moving – not to mention driving to Maine for his performances. Conspicuously absent are crowd pleasers like “Girls Dance With Girls” and “No Cream in My Coffee,” but perhaps that is simply Evan’s legitimacy shining through, replacing pop songs like those with ramblers like “C Minor Groove” that showcase the entire band’s musicianship and gives the fans a few extra minutes on the floor.

Back from the land of bikinis and drinks with umbrellas, the band is spending most of May and June in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, but you can catch them in New York on June 11 at Red Lion on Bleeker, a spectacular venue to see a band like this.

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