If you want to understand where the soul-revival movement really lives, you have to look past the big coasts and into the Rustbelt. Detroit is a place where factory sirens and church organs have always shared the same air. It is the city that raised Aretha, Marvin, Stevie and Parliament-Funkadelic, and it keeps producing singers who treat soul music as a calling, not a costume.

Laura Rain is very much in that lineage. Before she ever cut a record under her own name, she did her time in the musical trenches in Detroit and Los Angeles clubs, learning to project over clinking glasses, loud conversations and indifferent sound systems.

In 2012, she met guitarist, producer and fellow music historian George Friend, and the chemistry was immediate. Within a week they were writing together, building a band around a lean, organ-driven trio format that merged Memphis soul, juke-joint blues, tough Detroit funk and R&B.

Under the banner Laura Rain & The Caesars, they went from Motor City bars to the international soul circuit: five full-length albums, a run of 45s and digital singles, heavy touring across more than 25 states plus Canada and Europe, and steady rotation on BBC, NPR and CBC networks. Along the way, they picked up Detroit Music Awards in both blues and urban categories, proof that their sound sits comfortably at the crossroads of soul, blues and R&B rather than in any one lane.

What makes their story compelling is not just the retro flavor, but the work ethic and intent behind it. The five tracks we will explore trace that arc: from a raw debut statement to UK crossover appeal, to tracks that double as Detroit-style soul anthems that shows they are still pushing forward. Let’s get into five songs that define Laura Rain & The Caesars.

5 Essential Tracks by Laura Rain & The Caesars

1. “I Don’t Wanna Play”(Electrified – 2013)

We start at the beginning, with “I Don’t Wanna Play” from their 2013 debut album “Electrified.”

This was the record that introduced Laura Rain & The Caesars to the wider soul world: a stripped-down lineup of organ, guitar and drums that captured the feel of a late-night neighborhood bar where the band is playing for keeps.

This track sets out their mission statement. Laura’s vocals are all grit and control, equal parts gospel testifying and blues shout, while George Friend’s guitar laces the groove with stinging fills that nod to Chicago and Memphis without ever sounding like imitation.

2. “Closer to the Win” (Single – 2021)

That was “Closer to the Win,” a track that would see success on UK soul charts and across digital media and help pave the way for their alliance with LRK records. That song also set the tone for the material that would end up on their 5th album, “Rise Again.”

The next track is built on a steady mid-tempo pulse, with horn accents and rich organ swells. This track highlights the core husband/wife partnership between Laura and George. Their writing combines her direct, emotionally honest lyric approach with his deep knowledge and dexterity of musically distilling blues, soul and jazz styles that is more about building a songbook that can withstand time and travel. Let’s check them out on the cut “I Am (Who I Want To Be).”

3.  “I Am (Who I Want to Be)” – Rise Again (2022)

That was Laura Rain & The Caesars with “I Am (Who I Want to Be)” from their album Rise Again. We next move to the title track for that album, where the focus widens to include not just one singer’s journey, but the city that shaped her. This track plays as a love letter to Detroit itself, a city in the midst of its own rebuild and renaissance.

The arrangement is classic Caesar territory: driving drums, melodic bass, warm keys and guitar lines that mingle with Laura’s vocals, her voice tethered to the rhythm with a mix of urgency and assurance. Given their story, the song feels autobiographical. Since forming in 2012, Laura Rain & The Caesars have self-financed tours, hustled merch at the back of the room, been intentional in cultivating relationships and fostering belief in their music with DJs around the globe, and have steadily built a reputation strong enough to earn multiple Detroit Music Awards in both blues and R&B categories.

This track distills that hustle and grind into a sermon about persistence and hope. Let’s check it, here’s Laura Rain & The Caesars with “Rise Again.”

4. “Rise Again” (Rise Again – 2022)

That was Laura Rain & The Caesars with “Rise Again,” the centerpiece of their 2022 album of the same name. From a raw organ-trio debut to UK modern-soul 45s, from affirmations of self to anthems of resilience and late-period slow burners, Laura Rain & The Caesars embody what it means to be a working soul band in the twenty-first century. They write their own material, tour relentlessly, collaborate across genres and keep the focus on real instruments, melodies and thoughtful composition.

For our final track, we move to their most recent work, a single that shows how this band continues to evolve while staying rooted in its core sound. Here’s Laura Rain & The Caesars with “Feels So Right.”

5. “Feels So Right” (Single – 2024)

That was Laura Rain & The Caesars with “Feels So Right,” a recent chapter in a story that is still unfolding.

If this 5-on-5 has pulled you into their universe, be sure to check out more musical journeys into the artists who are shaping modern soul by keeping it locked on The Progressive Underground every Saturday evening at 6 on 101.9 WDET and wdet.org.

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