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"Don’t pee on me and tell me it’s raining. I’m smarter than that." -- Commissioner Corey Johnson
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| | | | ARCHIVES 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | CD Reviews Issue #20.01 :: 07/30/2008 - 08/05/2008 Cherry Poppin’ Daddies "Susquehanna" |
Cherry Poppin’ Daddies
"Susquehanna"
Space Age Bachelor Pad
Available Now
AUGUSTA. GA - If your only experience with the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies involved hearing “Zoot Suit Riot” at least nine times a day in the late '90s (I remember using it to hype myself up before a karate tournament), well, you could certainly be forgiven for that—few if any groups really managed to survive the neo-swing revival that dominated the pop charts during those few years, though the Eugene, Oregon octet, along with Squirrel Nut Zippers and Mighty Mighty Bosstones, did lend a hand in setting the bar high for shroom-induced band name ideas.
Anyhoo, the Daddies are finally back from their eight-year hiatus with "Susquehanna," an eclectic voodoo-Latin-infused song cycle named after the river near which frontman Steve “That’s My Real Name, I Shit You Not” Perry grew up. Yeah, there’s horns and stuff; yeah, the flamenco guitar-tinged opener “Bust Out” is the most insanely catchy thing they’ve written in years; and yeah, the watch chains probably still hang to their knees. But that’s not what gets your attention. The out-of-nowhere SoCal brat-punk ska of “Hi and Lo,” “Blood Orange Sun’s” UB40-on-opiates vibe, the Van Morrison-channeling “The Good Things” and “Julie Grave’s” shuffle-glam rhythm putting Slider-era Marc Bolan to shame…now THAT’LL wake you up.
Perry’s voice is a secret weapon and a revelation as his range moves effortlessly from a whiskey-and-honey-soaked tenor to a high-pitched reggae skank before holing up in the basement (often all in the same song); being backed by a blistering horn section and hotshit guitar player certainly doesn’t hurt either. Armed further with evocative imagery and succinct storytelling, Susquehanna should prove to be the most unique and enduring effort of the Daddies’ catalogue... unless they decide to take on that idea for a swing space opera based on “Foucault’s Pendulum” that I wrote them about. Think about it, guys!
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