Durand Jones & The Indications perform at the Fox Theater in Oakland on May 21, 2022. Matt Pang/STAFF.

OAKLAND — Soul rock band Durand Jones and the Indications brought their tour in support of their third album, Private Space, to the Fox Theater on Saturday night. The Indiana band’s latest album is a reflection of the influences of the ’50s and ’60s rhythm and blues artists that symbolize the epitome of old-school cruiser music that’s an obsession to avid fans to this day.

Durand Jones & The Indications performs at the Fox Theater in Oakland on May 21, 2022.

Durand Jones’ and Aaron Frazer‘s oppositional vocals were the biggest treat. Durand’s raspy baritone is a reflection of old-school greats like Otis Redding and Sam Cooke. Frazer’s crystal-clear tenor falsetto calls to mind Frankie Valli and Eddie Kendricks. Guitarist Blake Rhein, keyboardist Justin Hubler and bassist Kyle Houpt rounded out the performance with solid instrumentals. The band delivered its brand of soul and funk to a sold-out theater, with attendees swooning over over favorites like “Smile,” “Is it Any Wonder,” “Circles,” “Cruising to the Park” and “True Love.” Frontman Durand Jones’ energetic dancing was a throwback to James Brown and other soul icons of his day.

The simplicity of the staging focussed attention on the music and was a reflection of the raw, down-to-earth essence of the group; a compelling feature. Blue and hot pink hues of the stage lights cascaded down onto the stage.

La Doña performs at the Fox Theater in Oakland on May 21, 2022.

San Francisco native La Doña opened the show with a lively performance. Singer and trumpeter Cecilia Peña-Govea came with her own brand of indigenous soul in the form of Bay Area hyphy-fueled cumbia music. Tunes like “Cuando Se Van,” “Quien Me La Paga” and “Penas Con Pan” had the crowd hyped and swooning. Backed by an amazing band including a full percussion section, a brass contingent including La Doña’s on trumpet coupled with saxophone, and rhythmic guitar and bass, the musicianship did not disappoint. One could not help but make a comparison to greats like Selena Quintanilla.

Overall, the show was a golden night of spectacular musicianship and inclusive and soulful tunes.

— Mel Bowman

Follow Mel Bowman at Twitter.com/melmichel and Instagram.com/coco_michel_coco.