Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio was founded back in 2015, featuring Lamarr on Hammond Organ, Jimmy James on guitar, and Dan Weiss on drums. They released their first album, Close But No Cigar in 2018, and since that time have toured extensively and dropped a live EP and a single. Now they are ready to come back with their sophomore album, I Told You So.

The sound of DLO3 falls somewhere in between Jimmy Smith and Booker T. & The MGs, leaning heavily into the late ‘60s soul side of jazz. With any trio you need to be tight, but with an organ trio there’s a special type of chemistry that needs to be developed, since the combination of organ and guitar come together to create bass, melody, and counter melody in a way that makes sure the sound of the trio never sounds like anything is missing. This requires a lot of interplay not only between each other, but also with the drums, since one of the two is often covering bass and the rhythmic elements. The good news here on I Told You So is that the chemistry with DLO3 is second to none. They are all incredible musicians, but their ability to arrange and play within the group to create a sound that’s bigger than the sum of the parts is absolutely top notch. This is an album that is about funk, soul, and jazz in all of the best ways. The grooves are absolutely undeniable, and the album is just full of fat, rich tones coming from the combination of guitar and organ that just warm the soul. From the opening track, “Hole in One,” to the closing track, “I Don’t Know,” it’s all killer no filler. For their one slow jam, they offer up a great reinterpretation of Wham!’s “Careless Whisper,” which just brings together so many of my personal favorite things (Hammond organ, Wham!, jazz) that I almost squealed with joy the first time I heard it.

It might have been a few years since their last album, but Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio come back stronger than ever with I Told You So. It’s timeless music played with chemistry that can’t be taught, only developed by feel and dedication, which they have cleary done.