Cherry Poppin' Daddies Rock Ridge Music Updated: 09/28/09
Cherry Poppin' Daddies saw sales of two million copies of Zoot Suit Riot thanks to the movies Swingers and The Mask, as well as commercials and Los Angeles' KROQ waving the swing and ska flags. Years later they've returned to their eclectic roots of a punk band with a jazz horn section that originated in high school.
Originally made in 2008, Susquehanna showcases the Daddies talents with the seriously swinging White Trash Toodle Oo that still has a punk electric guitar. Hi & Lo is bright and sunny ska-punk with singer Steve Perry's clear and crooning vocals drawing the listener in. Roseanne includes hand claps and flamenco guitar putting you in a Latin club, dressed to the nines dancing with your partner. Hammerblow will get you skanking with skitting drums and scatting organ and guitar stabs.
I'm still undecided at if Breathe is supposed to be tongue-in-cheek in the lyrics, but the song overall is pleasant with nimble acoustic guitar and a Carnivale breakdown with whistles and yells. The Good Things owes a huge debt to 70's soft rock, with acoustic guitar, what sounds like flutes and flugelhorn, strings and Perry's nostalgic and melodic vocals.
Susquehanna opens with Bust Out and closes with the Spanish language version Arrancate. Both include dirty deep and twangy guitars and Latin horns and will get you skanking and sweating. On Bust Out, Perry's best buddy vocals are accentuated by a gang chant but on Arrancate, the band really owns the song with more confidence in the Spanish vocals.
Along with the release of Susquehanna, Rock Ridge is releasing Skaboy JFK: The Skankin' Hits Of The Cherry Poppin' Daddies which includes four newly recorded songs among early Ska faves Sockable Face Club, Slapstick, and Don Quixote.
(Bret Miller)
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