It isn’t often that from the first few seconds of a singer delivering the opening line of a song silences the room. Drinks stop halfway to lips. Bartenders pause their pours. Servers stop in their tracks. This, however, is undoubtedly something Joce Reyome has become very familiar with. Reyome doesn’t just ask for your attention but rather demands it, their voice acting as the engine of their award winning songs that include nods to traditional southern blues and classic R&B, all within their distinctive modern arrangements. Reyome’s voice wails, pleads and then fires up from deep inside their soul, filling the room with passion and stripping away any of the airs of casual detachment some music goers carry as they stand in the back of the room. That she is a highly in-demand session player is no surprise. Each of their songs are filled with heavy grooves that grab your ears and melodic hooks that bring you to your feet, strumming and picking guitar lines of a premier songwriter before dropping into raucous solos, hallmarks of a seasoned performer. Charisma, presence, attitude and talent – Reyome brings them all in spades.

- Derek McEwen