It’s arguable whether people, like wine, improve with age. Musically, it’s almost never the case, which is why the new album by People’s Champs is an exception. The Brooklyn band has been around for more than half a decade, skirting the edges of nascent PBR&B (aka hipster-soul) with a smattering of self-produced anthems that lean more mainstream than indie. With their latest album "American Dreamers" (out on 3rd Generation Recordings), the Champs eschew fragility and the clatter-trap percussion of lightweight new-soul by going straight for the jugular. “Family” and “Your Love” employ a punky drum/horn interplay that lands somewhere between the Budos Band and the Flaming Lips. Cole Williams’ full-bodied vocals tie it all together, taking shrieks, screams, and swoons to swelteringly high levels. “Humanity/We need you to listen,” she sings earnestly. Message received. – Brian Chidester
