"This is Soul for today: tight, sophisticated, and up-to-date...a winner" (San Diego Troubadour). Tori Roze and The Hot Mess are a soulful force to be reckoned with. Gathering their musical thunder from an extremely eclectic time and space spanning centuries, this band busts straight through the glass ceiling of genre-bending: original funky jazzy neo-soul music exploding with grit, integrity, and vulnerability.
Roze is a key artist in conveying the emotional intent behind a song. "Hearing Tori Roze's sultry voice for the first time is like learning that Santa Claus isn't real: it absolutely breaks your heart. Roze seduces you with her Erykah Badu-esque flair, and just when you think she can't be any smoother, she claws her way into your ears with her rocking roars" (San Diego City Beat). The Hot Mess, comprised of five exceptional "pocket" players nailing unexpected arrangements to “blow your top” (one of which is Tori’s mother), leaves you reeling with toe-tapping excitement. Instrumentation: guitar (Johnny Alexander), bass (Harley Magsino), trombone/keys (Jordan Morita), flute/backup vocals (Lee Clark), vocals/trumpet/hand percussion (Tori Roze), and rotating drummers (Charles Weller & Tim Newton) complete this motley crew of intuitive technicians. The name says it all: The Hot Mess. Do not expect for their arrangements to be predictable or run-of-the-mill – this band is audibly unique. Musically likened to Chicago + Earth, Wind, and Fire with a slap of Amy Winehouse + Janis Joplin-style vocals; these guys have got the recipe for eargasmic pleasure.
“We pride ourselves on not fitting into the mainstream. The beauty is in the difference. We make genuine art. We shape sound. We care about what we do. We like to put some stank on it, bottom line," Roze says of their fearless musical style.