On the nerve!
Duane Mailing | Hamilton, ON Canada | 07/29/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Man, these guys are tapped in at ground level! This album exudes authenticity. These cats listened, I mean really listened, to the guys that started it all and the original material, which comprises half the record, is every bit as good as the covered material. A tall order. Ross Bon's songwriting is A1! The material is just the right mix of R&B, swing and blues and the band's sound, especially Bon's vocals, rings true to the sound of many greats of days gone by while at the same time not sounding like anyone I have ever heard, and lending themselves very well to modern audiences who are tired of the lack of substance so often heard in todays "music." Roots! Roots! Roots! In this band is some roots... cutest little roots...that you ever did see...now the root's in the dirt and the dirt's in the hole and the hole's in the ground...where the green grass grows all around and around, the green grass grows all around."
Better than Cherry Poppin Daddies
Duane Mailing | 07/02/1998
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Being a Chicago resident, I have the opportunity to see the Blue Kings more often than people in other parts of the country. Although their latest album is a tad on the short side (~36 minutes), I still feel their their style has matured over the last few years.Both the vocal lines and rhythm have begun to take on elements of a more mature band than what appears on stage. At a recent live performance in Austin, TX they had worked out a song that sounded like something Desmond/Brubeck would have done. The original song alternated between a time meter of 6/8 and 4/4. Check out the disk and check them out live. You won't be dissappointed."
The best thing to come out of Chicago since Sosa...
Duane Mailing | 09/24/1998
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Having the luck of living a couple hours north of Chicago, we were lucky enough to get many chances to see these kings on stage. Never have they disappointed. This release has a little less energy than Meet Me In Uptown, but (as always), the sound is flawless. And Ross Bon knows how to croon..."