Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds

This is just fun...the vocals are all coy and lovely, flirtatious and nuanced,...an inspired and intriguingly modern take on vintage sounds...shifty and sly." - Glide Magazine

The fans speak for themselves. - Relix.com

The fans speak for themselves. - Relix.com

The fans speak for themselves. - Relix.com

Their sound is uniquely American in its melting and mixing of classic genres to produce something that is, at its best, mind-blowing. - Lip Magazine

"A fun album from start to finish" - Relix Magazine - June 2011

"If you’ve already seen Sister Sparrow, you’ll want to get this record. If not, once you listen to this record, you’ll want to see them live. This CD is a party in a jewel box..." - Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn.com

"There’s all the nasty-ass, hip-grinding, sweat-soaked-but-cool-as-hell funk on their self-titled debut album that you could ever want, but there’s also so much more... Bottom line: this album is just plain fun." - Jambands.com

"Best Album You Probably Didn't Hear: "It's a classic sounding album that will give you hope that great 'new' music is still out there." - Indie Media Mag

Fronted by the charming Arleigh Kincheloe, Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds pack a mean, sweaty rock & soul wallop. With horns, harmonica, and guitar, they're just as comfortable with some butt-shakin' ska as they are laying down a blues shout. You will play this at unhealthful volume levels. - All About Jazz

Fronted by the charming Arleigh Kincheloe, Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds pack a mean, sweaty rock & soul wallop. With horns, harmonica, and guitar, they're just as comfortable with some butt-shakin' ska as they are laying down a blues shout. You will play this at unhealthful volume levels. - All About Jazz

On their self-titled debut album, the members of the nine-person, horn-driven band prove that they can swagger as well as skank—and get bluesy and torchy when they need to - Relix Magazine

Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds reminds me of that time when I felt compelled to buy every soul and horn-related record I could find, from Tower of Power to James Brown to early Chicago. In fact, this stuff is so good that I feel a another wave of collecting coming on!

With sultry & knowing vocals by Arleigh Kincheloe, and backed by a killer four-part (trombone, alto, bari, trumpet) horn section, Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds blast their way though a big, sweaty pile of passionate rock and soul. Like the body of soul music itself, this band is not content to stick to just a single form. No, there are raveups ("Baby From Space," "Quicksand," and "Who Are You"? (which takes its main riff from Grieg's "In The Hall Of The Mountain King")), infectious reggae ("BoomBoom," "Rock In It," and "Vices" (an insanely catchy modern companion to Blondie's "The Tide Is High")), and down & dirty blues-inflected soul: "Freight Train," "Eddy," "My House."

The guitar player in me just has to give a tip of the cap to guitarist Sasha Brown. Mr. Brown can bring the funk, the skank, and drop down a nasty solo. This album wouldn't be the same without him.

Reviewers are going to run out of superlatives to attach to Ms. Kincheloe. She's more than comfortable in the music's more tender moments (for instance, the country-ish "Just My Eyes") and can easily torque up the power to keep up with the horn section. Take one look at her and you can't be blamed for being surprised that that voice came out of that person!

If you need one song to hear what this band is about, check out "My House." A slow-building plea for love ("Come on over to my house baby.."), you'll hear Kincheloe's pleading vocals, a swelling horn section, and some terrific guitar work by Sasha Brown.

I can pretty much guarantee that Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds will have you reaching for the necessary upward volume adjustments. Just be careful...gotta have pity for those upstairs neighbors. - Something Else Reviews / All About Jazz - By Mark Saleski

As for Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds, I will forever label this show as “The Awakening” because while I’ve had a great time at their shows in the past, this was the one where I really got it. In talking to some of their longtime fans, I learned that last night’s set wasn’t particularly “better” than others, but the environment was certainly one of the best the band’s had at any of their shows. The room was far from full, but everyone pressed up to the front and most of us danced our asses off. It was a bigger than usual stage for them, and they filled it out well with lead singer Arleigh Kincheloe taking charge and commanding attention.



I really love how this band is an incredibly tight nine-piece ensemble that works so well together, yet all of its members are polished enough that they can really seize the moment when given the spotlight for solos. For whatever reason, that seems to be an anomaly among most bands-- either they’re an all-star lineup of people needing room to shine or they’re the kind of ensemble where the whole is far greater than the individual parts. I get the sense that while the Dirty Birds are particularly skilled at playing together, you could cherrypick a couple of them and start a great trio or quartet with little effort.



And Arleigh’s performance had me simply transfixed. There was one moment when I was thinking, “You know, this young lady could really…wait a sec…oh….wow…did she just…uh-huh…yes…wow….just…wow…I hope no one saw me drool all over myself…Hell, I don’t care, I can’t look away….wait…oh, man….damn….can’t she just stand still and act a little less sultry for just one second? I was about to think of something brilliant, but I’ve completely lost my train of thought. Thanks a lot!...oh, yes…thank you very, very much….”



To be perfectly honest, I had to stay off to the side because I was afraid of how much power she could potentially wield over me by making eye contact. From my vantage point, her performance was nothing short of spellbinding, and without thinking, I would have cut out someone’s vital organs with a butter knife if she’d asked me to do so. I’ve seen Arleigh on stage before, and I’ve hung out with her a few times at Jazz Fest, but I’ve never seen her demonstrate such a heightened level of raw sexuality.



The only knock I’d put on her is for less-than stellar diction, as I often had a hard time deciphering lyrics. Part of that seems to be a vocal choice that she’s made (because she certainly speaks normally), but I would throttle that back just a tad for clarity’s sake. Otherwise, she shouldn’t change a damn thing.



If you want a funky, reggae/ska-infused evening steaming with the scent of late night seduction, Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds are the band for you. - Intelligent Rectum

It’s cold and rainy this morning and very hard to get up. Last night I was out with Katya and Alexis. An old Okie friend of A's from their High School days lives here too. A decent bass man as it turns out who sent along an invitation to hear his band. A real cool guy named Aidan. We set up with some drinks in the dark room at the back of old Parkside Lounge in New York's L.E.S. The band played super well. An 8piece crew with one chap out they still hit it hard with strong roots in Funk, Soul, Blues and Rock. The lead singer was a brown hair, light build, easy on the eyes beauty in a purple pleated dress with an open back halter-top. Arleigh's got chops for sure and if you don't believe it, she even had some moves that made the women’s heads turn. Red lights set a mood on stage and the grooves they were laying down were fit for a good time. I had a feeling while watching that I had finally found some people of my own generation that played music, at least the kind that I subscribe listening to.

When the band was setting up it took only a second to realize they were not a bunch of trust fund hipsters. These cats were authentic musicians that came howling from the great halls of Jazz, Blues, Reggae & Rock. You could tell all this by the way they blew a few notes, tuning away some colorful riffs into the room. The longhaired harmonica man looked like my father 30 years removed. He's the brother of the singer and cousins to the drummer man, Katya’s favorite. We had a grand time and I had a strong feeling we’d be seeing more of this group in the future. - Dan Bina: Writings