Mitch
Woods and his Rocket 88s
Jump for Joy
With
Jump for Joy (Bling Pig), Mitch Woods expands his normal set-up
to include a much bigger barrage of horns, and the results are
effective. Michael Peloquin¹s arrangements are one of the album's
chief strengths, and the playing is solid by all involved.
The
first song, "Jump In The Groove And Go," is a fun and
frenetic uptempo number with rootsy hand-claps. Right out of the
gate, Woods establishes himself as a cool, robust vocalist, and
he sustains his smooth delivery throughout. His piano work sounds
deceptively simple, free of pyrotechnics but anchoring, grooving,
and true to the jump blues idiom.
Mitch
and his band handle all tempos well, from the nearly breakneck
opener, to the ultra-smooth tunes "Easy Street" and
"Jump For Joy," all the way to the '60s 'batcave' rock
flavor on "Jive Mr. Boogie." There's even a dash of
New Orleans seasoning on the verses of "Not a Bad Part of
My Life (to Be Good)."
The
songwriting, although able and true to the style, does cross the
line to pastiche on occasion. It's tough to write new tunes in
an old flavor without sounding imitative at times. But the numbers
are so well executed that to lean on this would be splitting hairs.
This album is meant to be danced to, and dancers will enjoy its
overall flavor and infectious bounce, thanks to a rock-solid band
and a leader who stylistically walks the walk.
-Chris
Orbach
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