THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT the experience of hearing a live House band. The warmth, the impromptu acts of virtuosity and the electricity of the crowd can move your soul more than any prerecorded track ever could.

House music, although sometimes soulful, is often criticized as being overtly mechanical or lacking in real musicianship. That is why Tortured Soul is a beautiful and welcome relief.

Tortured Soul was unofficially formed in 2001 by three guys from Brooklyn, New York. John-Christian Urich is the drummer and lead vocalist, JKriv the bassist, and Ethan White keyboardist for this incredibly talented and soulful band blazing a path to stardom. Their album Introducing Tortured Soul, originally released in 2004, is being re-released on R2 Records from London. The album is a wonderful collection of jazzy, funky and romantic dance tunes that is engaging both on and off the dance floor. Urich's vocals are warm and embracing, and it's a wonder to actually hear songs as opposed to over-programmed track listings.

Songs on Introducing Tortured Soul include "Fall In Love" (co-produced with DJ Spinna), "How's Your Life" along with their most popular song, "I Might Do Something Wrong" (remixed by Osunlade). From Gilles Peterson to Lenny Kravitz to Barry Manilow (who says "Tortured Soul is breaking some rules and keeping me as a musician interested"), the group is turning heads from all branches of the musical spectrum.

All three members of the group are highly-skilled musicians with other credits to their name. Urich is well known in the world of House and R&B as the leader of the band Cooly's Hot Box, as well as releases under the name Cowboy Johnny Christ. JKriv has production work under the names The Moves and bgb, while White also does production work under the name EasyTracks.

Recently Tortured Soul returned to Chicago to play at Smart Bar. Although they have been to this city many times before, it was the first time I had the pleasure to see them perform live. With their signature white shirts and ties, the show was nothing short of amazing. Prior to the show I got the chance to sit with these three very funny and charming men at the lobby of the Hard Rock Hotel and find out more about their music.

Can you tell us more about your background?

ETHAN WHITE: We met playing in another band in New York. It was a kinda funky, acid jazz instrumental thing. We toured for about two and a half years playing. It was called Topaz. We played as the rhythm section of that group.

And then when did you officially become Tortured Soul?

JKRIV: The first official Tortured Soul thing was with the release of "I Might Do Something Wrong" which was really just Christian's thing at the time, it was like a solo project for him. We were still performing with the other group. But around that time, the three of us started putting together the concept of what has become the band Tortured Soul. And sort of jumping off the success of that single, we then started to collaborate on some other stuff... like another jam that eventually became "How's Your Life". These were the singles that started coming out under the Tortured Soul name and then we began to really tour with it as a live act in 2003.

Where did you guys attend school?

JOHN-CHRISTIAN URICH: I went to State University of New York at Purchase. I majored in Percussion and switched over to Composition, with a focus on studio composition. Ethan went to NYU, was a piano major. Jason had a double major at Oberlin in English and Music.

Did you have any vocal training?

CHRISTIAN: I guess, yeah. My mom's a singer and I grew up with singing. I used to sing at the City Opera and the Met when I was younger. I didn't sort of see myself as a singer until I started doing college stuff and became interested in learning songs.

And who came up with the name Tortured Soul?

CHRISTIAN: In interviews we have that's something we struggle with, to kind of define it exactly. It was originally about that first song ("I Might Do Something Wrong"), sort of like the push and pull of trying to decide what to do within a relationship. But I think the meaning has extended to a lot of the content in the songs. And also it's something that everybody can kind of relate to and that all three of us feel in many ways, that frustration of not getting what you want and trying to figure out how to do it and not always coming out that way.