The Sugar Shakes rocked, rolled, souled Haverhill last night

The Sugar Shakes returned to their regular rotation room The Tap in Haverhill, Massachusetts last night and they got many up and dancing and shaking it. Vocally, The Sugar Shakes go more for feeling, but musically they can step it up, step it down, move it all around.

The Sugar Shakes are a band who know how to keep an audience on their feet. They dove into classic R&B from the 1960s and classic blues from the 1950s. Opening with “Tore Down,” The Sugar Shakes found their groove with the first guitar chord. Guitarist Ed Williams played a sly and twisty lead that kept people interested in where he was going with it. If that wasn’t enough, The Sugar Shakes had a saxophonist with them last night, Jeff Felder, who also carried a lot of the weight melodically.

Felder was filling in for regular Sugar Shakes saxophonist Russ Gershon. Felder played with some heft when he felt the song called for a thicker, louder sound. But mainly, he doesn’t want to blow people away. He kept his sax lines low key, favoring sweet melodies over a hard-charging approach. And the beauty and subtly he got out of his instrument could be easily appreciated in detail when he took it easy.

B.B. King’s “Next Time You See Me” found Williams playing some solid gold guitar chords underneath Felder’s sax melody in a way that made the song feel loose in the groove and loose in the vibe. It was like they were manufacturing the feel for the evening. Williams, with his wireless guitar, went out into the audience and walked right up to folks to show him how he plays his guitar.

Bass player Tom Doran took to the microphone to tackle the lead vocal on “99 And One Half” while his bass became the lead instrument in the tune. Busy at first, Doran eventually opened up a space for Felder to come into the game with a smooth, soulful, mellifluous sax line with sax notes dancing all over the place.

One of last night’s best numbers was “Walkin’ The Dog,” done with a mellow approach in the groove but with a lot of sparks in the guitar and saxophone. The Sugar Shakes eventually went full steam ahead with “Got Your Mojo Workin’. A funky interpretation of the two-step shuffle gave Felder a kick to play his sax line zig zag with speed, intricacy, and taste. Before you knew it, Williams was back playing a mellow octave blues guitar, snappy, brittle notes that the guitarist makes into a lot of fun when you’re watching him go.

Guitar and saxophone worked very well together on James Brown’ “Poppa Got A Brand New, Bag.” Nervous guitar chords and some good horn shots made all the difference. The band took things down a little bit when they began their second set with Tyrone Davis’s “Change My Mind,” a mindful sax line gently reaching people with its sweet sounds, pulling patrons onto the dance floor. The four piece got a forceful, bopping groove going on “Chain Of Fools” when the melody instruments rode in in style, sharp, incisive, penetrating guitar lead stabbing into the mountain of rhythm section groove and vibe. Drummer Naomi Cookie Pierce proved an able backing vocalist but this is definitely a cat fronted band. Pierce said during a break that she prefers to be called “Cookie,” a nickname she got because she bakes. Most people would likely assume someone named her “Cookie” because she is sexy, a striking woman who carries herself with grace and presence.

Junior Walker’s “Shot Gun” began with an appropriate burst of energy from Williams on guitar and Felder on sax and this carried on until Felder said it all with his melody, grace, power, cool, holding notes or making the notes dance in tight intervals. Felder was the sax man who can.

The Sugar Shakes played a version of “Mustang Sally” that was a bit more reserved in the tempo but thicker in the groove than how it usually gets played. The vibe was more palpable on this Wilson Pickett and that vibe-thang is this band’s strong suit. Again, guitar and sax men, with their wireless instruments, strutted their stuff all around the room.

Knobby bass playing on Howlin’ Wolf’s “Killin’ Floor” was cool and it was a good segue into James Brown’s “I Got You(I Feel Good) where the Sugar Shakes had the groove right in the pocket. The Sugar Shakes got really funky in their third set. In fact, they injected James Brown’s “Funky Good Time” and Williams held those vocal notes with a soulful aftertaste in his fulsome, throaty low tenor. “634-5789” found Felder breathing new life into the tune and “Just My Imagination” found him breathing the melody in a volume just a few notches above a whisper.

The Sugar Shakes were all pro, all class, all elegance. They are the kind of band that can rock a room with their danceable grooves. They could also handle high level functions with their fine precision and self-control.