Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens at the Bowery Ballroom

As a child, Naomi Shelton sang with her sisters at their small church in Midway, Alabama. As an adult, she moved to Brooklyn, New York, and became a self-employed apartment cleaner and organizer. She never stopped singing, however. On Saturday nights she sang both spiritual and contemporary soul songs in local nightclubs under the name Naomi Davis, but on Sunday mornings she sang the rock of ages in church. In 1999, she recorded two singles, now collectors' items among funk-music disc jockeys. Ten years later, now in her 70s, Shelton released her first album. Her second album, Cold World, was released on July 29, 2014.

Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens brought a vintage gospel soul to the Bowery Ballroom tonight as the opening act for Reigning Sound. The rock music fans in the audience were introduced to the roots of rhythm and blues, where the heavenly met the earthly to make a sparse and fresh pop sound. Shelton and her three backing vocalists date-stamped a sound that was popularized by the Staple Singers in the 1960s. In some cases, socially-conscious and hard-times lyrics were given an inspirational boost and framed in an uplifting vocal arrangement. The set was comprised of soul music that was informed by the church. The simplicity of the musical arrangements, with rolling organ and funky groove, along with the soulful charm of the senior citizen at the main microphone won over the rock fans.

Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens perform every Friday night at Fat Cat.