When Davey Meshell recently started a new band, the name choice was obvious; the handpicked members of the TransAtlantics spent their respective formative years on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean - in places ranging from New York and Maine, to Scotland and the Isle of Man. But the thing that unites them under one flag is a shared love of the classic era of American soul music. Meshell is best known around Los Angeles for fronting his black-leather band, the Neighborhood Bullys, which has a raw and uncompromising approach to rock and roll music. Meshell is at once affable and intense, and he grew up in a musical family - establishing himself as a go-to bass player for a number of well-known artists both in the studio and on the road. But Meshell's not-so-secret weapon is his powerful tenor voice, and it's that soulful howling that provided the genesis for the TransAtlantics. Whereas the Bullys' stock-in-trade is amped-up energy and catchy songs delivered at paint-stripping volume, the TransAtlantics turn down the amps to let the grooves and melodies shine. Most importantly, the TransAtlantics are a BAND. Each player was selected by Meshell specifically to complement both the songs as well as the other players. And like any soul band worth its mettle, the TransAtlantics lineup is comprised of tasteful and accomplished players that astutely cover the elements essential to the style. And as for that style, although the band uses classic soul as their guiding star, they're not afraid to veer off and explore a bit of genre-bending stylistic territory in order to keep things fresh - both for them and for their fans. Rock and roll and soul music have always been kissing cousins, and Davey Meshell and the TransAtlantics are ready to testify that both are alive and well in the new millennium.