Videos by American Songwriter
Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears
Scandalous
Lost Highway
[Rating: 3.5 stars]
Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears’ 2009 Lost Highway debut Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is! delivered an eye-opening blast of vintage rock ānā soul that drew upon Sixties influences like James Brown, Stax Records and Sly Stone. The bandās follow-up Scandalous might lack the debutās element of surprise but it retains the bandās exuberant retro-rooted groove of fierce funk, gritty soul, country blues and roadhouse rock and roll.
A blare of Stax-y horns and a funky guitar lick fuels the energetic opening track āLivinā In The Jungle.ā āBooty Cityā and āBlack Snakeā continue the dance party mood, and itās easy to imagine how well these sweaty little numbers ā both of which clock in under 3:05 on disc ā in concert. The track āSo Scandalousā especially showcases the bandās strengths. This slinky yet tough tale about a tawdry woman combines a potent beat, soulful horns and rockinā guitars to create a powerful, dramatic song. Thereās drama of another kind in āMustang Ranch,ā a ribald, rowdy account of the bandās stop at the infamous Nevada brothel. Like āMaster Sold My Babyā on Tell āEm, āMessināā is old school country blues that feels from a bygone era while āYou Been Lyināā stands as a rousing Sly and the Family-style workout.
The thoroughly engaging Scandalous certainly satisfying oneās hunger for some stick-to-your-ribs rock ānā soul music. The band, however, seems approaching a crossroads. They definitely demonstrate their skills at successfully reviving these retro sounds but they are still striving to find their own special voice. On āSince I Met You Baby,ā for example, they interestingly infuse a slow-burning soul shouter with some mariachi-ish horns and stinging guitars solos. By moving out of the past, they hint at maybe where their future lays.
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