Kit Packham’s One Jump Ahead – Everybody Love’s A Boogie
Pelican Records
16 songs time – 53:52
CHECK PLEASE! This music is played well but it is hardly my cup of tea. Fans of Lawrence Welk or Louis Jordan might enjoy it, but not Moi. There are some humorous moments and the band is first rate. Swing music doesn’t do it for me. Kit is a good singer with a first-rate band with a swinging horn section. They do justice to most of the covers of standards, as well as original songs that sound authentic from the era.
Ok, I can deal with Louis Jordan-like music, like the original “Everybody Loves A Boogie”, the title song. It is upbeat with good guitar playing and a crack horn section. A spoken intro leads in to the rather hokie “Don’t Clap On The First Beat Of The Bar”. “Old Rock ‘N’ Roll Songs Never Die”, but this is hardly a rock ‘n’ roll song. They give a good rendition of “Don’t Get Around Much Any More”. “Love Me Love My Saxophone” is a bit corny, although the sax playing is nice.
The words of “Route 66” are changed to A-23 along to references of English towns. Tribute is paid to a favorite haunt in “Alley Club Blues” as they complement the food. “Lockdown Chase” is a catchy instrumental. “My Funny Valentine” becomes “My Swingin’ Valentine” in the hands of these hep cats. The merits of the lonely spud is the subject of “I Dig Potatoes” with its’ witty lyrics.
“Basingstoke” is apparently about an English town. Its’ alternate lyrics are sung to the tune of “Baby Face”. A clever device is using a song as an advertisement to buy their CD, aptly titled “Buy A CD”. Um…If you are listening to it, you already own the CD. “get off your ass and buy a CD”. The record appropriately ends with a goodbye mini medley, “We Had A Real Good Time/We’ll Meet Again”.
Well, for those who enjoy this genre of music, it is certainly well done. In the immortal words of Batman-“To each his own said the lady as she kissed her cow”. See you in the funny papers.