Like a lot of folks at Grady, I consider myself in tune with music, and it is always fun to discover news bands that I like.

I tend to listen to electro pop, indie folk, indie electronic and almost anything with a powerful female vocalist, so I was hesitant and disappointed when I first heard the Southern twang of Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds’ “Make It Rain.” I judged the group by its name, its look, and its arrangement of nine members and their hometown, Brooklyn. I expected more of a Florence + the Machine sound rather than their funky, “Deep South” soul.

The singing of lead singer and songwriter Sister Sparrow, née Arleigh Kincheloe, was so fast, I could not understand her lyrics. The unintelligibility of her vocals, however, did not matter to me. The general sound of the song did not move me at all, so I did not even try to listen to what she was saying and did not listen to the song for two days.

Then I decided I was being too harsh on the band, so I gave them another chance. I went to their website (www.sistersparrow.com) to learn more about the band members and check out more of their music. I clicked on their song “Millie Mae,” and I fell in love.

The slower tempo gave me more time to savor the lyrics, horns and the overall feel of the song. Sister Sparrow is backed by eight male instrumentalists playing the drums, guitar, bass, alto saxophone, trumpet, trombone, baritone sax and harmonica, and I could hear each of them distinctly of this song. I loved the sound, which put me on an imaginative journey.

I imagined drinking fresh lemonade on a veranda in the sweltering heat of a rural, southern city or riding along in a pickup truck through a field with my friends as the wind blew through my hair. It gave me a warm, comfortable, joyous and genuine feel of what it is like to have a lifestyle different than the urban one I have always lived. I was able to put myself in a setting where I have never lived but will hopefully visit one day.

Listening to the song, I was also curious to know the story behind it. Who was this “Little Rose Millie Mae?” This song has so much mystique. I was intrigued, and I tried to create my own interpretations of the story. Maybe she was a little girl that Sister Sparrow knew in her childhood, or maybe Millie Mae is not an actual person at all, but a version of herself.

The song was so fun for me, that I explored other songs by Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds, and I am really glad that I did.

I suggest checking out their whole Pound of Dirt album including the songs “Too Much,” “Lasso” and “Make It Rain.” Yes, “Make It Rain” did grow on me. The message is fun and seductive. Kincheloe sings about letting go and shaking your thing. I am actually embarrassed that I misjudged Sister Sparrow the first time I heard it.

Of course, after I finish listening to Pound of Dirt, the band’s second and most recent album, I plan on listening to  the group’s first, self-titled album that dropped in November of 2010. I also have to make sure I see Sister Sparrow perform when it comes to Center Stage on Valentine’s Day. Watching all nine band members, especially a strong, female lead vocalist,  performing their hearts out in their own soulful stylings seems like the perfect date.