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Yalloppin'
Hounds
Ghetto Swing Extreme!
 New
Yorkers have been grooving to the jazz-flavored sounds of The
Yalloppin’ Hounds for close to two years now, but the band
only recently made its brand of hip-hop seasoned swing accessible
to the masses on its long-awaited debut, Ghetto Swing Extreme.
Although the Hounds are determined to bring this genre of music
a little closer to the Harlem roots from which it originally sprang,
there’s much more “swing” than “ghetto”
on this album, so don’t let the title frighten you.
Each
member of the Hounds boasts a rich jazz background, which has
led the band to create a unique selection of swinging dance originals.
Standouts include “Hot Dog,” a favorite jam tune among
the NYC locals; the rollicking “Oops, My Bad!,” which
describes an illicit encounter with a best friends’ girl;
and “You Ain’t Sh**,” a jaw-dropping vocal number
seasoned with The Hounds’ signature style of rapping over
swing beats. The instrumental cuts “Ghetto Swing” and
“King of The Mall” will also grab your attention, but
the real hit is “Daddy Make You Feel Good,” a duet between
Lord Sledge on trumpet and vocalist Queen Esther that’s guaranteed
to get your toes tapping.
I
applaud The Hounds for finally getting this one out of the songbooks
and into production, but I’m a little disappointed the disc
doesn’t capture more of the energy they radiate live. For
such a talented band with so much innovation and vision, this
is a strong start out of the gates, but I’m still curious
to see what The Hounds have in store for a follow-up. In
the meantime, if the idea of Ellington meets Wu-Tang gets your
juices flowing, check out Ghetto Swing Extreme.
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Chad "DJ Chops" Kincaid
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