Chrissi Poland - Forever Muscle Shoals

Chrissi Poland brings her album Forever Muscle Shoals to Middle C Jazz on Friday, October 16. It's a soul show built around the sound of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and Poland is a soul singer at heart.

On the record, which Jay Tooke produced, she reworks songs by Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, and Cher. The backing band features Muscle Shoals legends Kelvin Holly, who worked with the FAME Gang and Little Richard, and Jimbo Hart, known for his work with Jason Isbell, along with surprise guest vocalists. The live show leans on the stories Poland gathered working with icons of that era, so it's as much about the history behind the songs as the music itself.

Poland has played some of the world's most iconic venues, including The Hollywood Bowl, The Acropolis, Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage, Madison Square Garden, and The Beacon Theatre in New York. The New York Times' Stacey Anderson described her voice as "sheer ferocity," and she's known for silencing a room and bringing listeners to their feet with her vocal ability and her connection to the music.

The show starts at 6 PM, with doors opening at 5:15 PM. General admission is $46.15, and Baby Grand member tickets are $37.75. Middle C Jazz is at 300 S. Brevard St. in Charlotte.