Hey, Sailor!
2001
Jitterbop Records
SQ Issue: Winter 2003, Voume 14, Issue 1
The Band:
Cynthia
Lyon – keyboards, vocals; Collin Tilton – tenor & alto saxophone; Megan
Keith – vocals, percussion; Tom Whalen – guitar, vocals; David Keith –
drums, percussion; Michael Corsini – bass guitar, vocals.
“Drawing its musical influences from American
roots music - swing, boogie woogie, rhythm & blues, soul, Motown, - Eight to the Bar
is known for its outstanding instrumentalists and sophisticated musical and vocal
arrangements, highlighted by female vocals.” – Website
This band has a lot of fun with their music. It shows in the CD with the energy that they put into each song. There is lots of danceable tunes registering 62% on the danceability scale. That’s 8 of 13 that you will find danceable.
There are lots of danceable tunes and
lots of energy but I still find myself thinking that this CD is lacking. The band has a real neo-swing flavor and the
vocals with the harmonizing are reminiscent of theater shows. I would say their style straddles the campy line. However, campy “can” be fun now and
again.
Here’s the highlights for me. The best song is The Existential Boogie. This song has great boogie piano and the lyrics
are just made for 30 something dancers. They’re
fun and the energy level is high. Another
song I liked a lot was Well All Right. This
song has been covered by the greats like Lionel Hampton, Tommy Dorsey and the Andrews
Sisters. It is the latter that the band
emulates and they do a good job. The
harmonizing is great and they keep it fun. It’s
nice to see covers of Andrews Sisters songs other than Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.
Lots of the songs are serviceable but
don’t jump out as something I would want to hear and dance to on a regular basis. One of the most disappointing part of this CD is
the drummer. I am betting dollars to
doughnuts that the drummer came from a rock band. The
swing is missing on most songs and that it detrimental to any band wanting to do Swing
music. The bass on a couple songs was also
overmixed.
I think that you will find this CD an okay find. If you can get it in a discount bin, by all means pick it up. However, don’t pay top dollar. There’s lots of great swing music to spend your money on before plunkin’ it down for this one.
Bottom Line: To buy or not to buy….. Don’t Buy! If you do, here’s how: