We were there for the humble beginnings of this long-running institution of local blues, rock and R & B music and have seen a lot of changes over the years. With only one original member left, Norm Uhl on keyboards and vocals, the current lineup consists of Sandy Hickey on vocals, Jon Cometta on guitar, Dan Jones on drums, and Ernie Diaz on bass. Guest musicians included Patrick Brennan on sax and another original member, the late, great Mike “Lowboy” Leubner for his last recorded memory. It has been five years since “Lookin’ For Texas” and this is a welcome treat. The opening cut “Sizzlin’ Hot” is a jazzy, funky ballad with strong sexual undertones, then the bouncy ballad “Wrong Side of the Blues” takes a more jazz-oriented feel, but is a cute little tune. A smoky ballad, “The Day You Went Away” is a fine example of love gone bad song, and a delightful song, and Norm takes the lead vocals on a cutesy “The Drinking Song” where he keeps promising to “give up drinking, as soon as I finish this beer”. Sandy belts out “Lost Respect”, a real torch song of he-done-her-wrong story, and then nails a scorching cover of “Use What You Got”. Her rendition of the Gershwin classic “Summertime” is a fine cover of this much-covered song, and is also a staple of their live shows, and then they finish with the title cut, a real rockin’ blues cut with lots of screaming guitars, howling harmonica and honky-tonk piano, a really good way to end the album. The fitting tribute to the late bass player “Lowboy” Leubner is including a cut of him singing Jimmy Thackery’s “Cool Guitar (Sell The Bitch’s Car), which was a staple of their shows for many years. Thanks for the memories! All in all, this is a fun group of songs, with several outstanding cuts, and I know all you Texas blues fans will love it.
                            Read more...