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House
of Blues
House of Blues Swings!
 You're
probably thinking, "Oh no, not another swing compilation!"
Ah, but this isn't just some hackneyed attempt to cash in on the
swing craze. House of Blues – Swings! brings you more than
a dozen of the best swing and jump jive bands out there today.
This album isn't just one to buy—it's one to listen to until
the CD melts!
Right
off the bat, Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers suck
you in, as Miss Smith does a great Lena Horne for her rendition
of "Blue Skies." Meanwhile, bands like Eight to the Bar
and The Savoir-Faire Pistol Pocket Dance Band (say that five times
fast) delight listeners with vocal stylings reminiscent of the Andrews
Sisters, reminding us all why so many G.I.s went nuts at those USO
concerts. An interesting aside: Not a single member of the 17-piece
SFPPDB is over 21. But boy, do they give the rest of the groups
on the CD a run for their money! (And what have you done with your
life?)
Other
favorites include the Blues Jumpers performing "Chicken Wing";
Bellevue Cadillac with "Prozac"; and The Swingin' Deacons
with "Conjunction Junction" (the old Schoolhouse Rock
tune). These bands keep swing contemporary and fun, just like
Louis Jordan did in his day.
-
Nori Negron-Casimiro
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