Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears sure know how to throw a party in compact disc (or mp3 or vinyl) form. A 7 piece band that is equally adept at guitar rock, soul and funk and fronted by a man who shrieks like James Brown in a fistfight with Iggy Pop, with Scandalous the Honeybears manage to improve upon their excellent debut, 2009's Tell 'Em What Your Name Is. It's a little tough to hear what Joe is singing about most of the time (a lot of it is sex) but his voice works best when thought of as another instrument. On that level it fits right in with the overall raw and tough sound the band produces. Horn fueled rave ups like ""Livin' in the Jungle," "Booty City," "Black Snake" and "Mustang Ranch" are balanced with the more soulful "I'm Gonna Leave You" and "She's So Scandalous." "You Been Lyin" uses the considerable skills of The Relatives to achieve an awesome blend of funky gospel, doo-wop rock. Even slow blues gets thrown into the melting pot of styles with Lewis showing off his inner Robert Johnson during "Messin." Scandalous proves that Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears are not a band to be ignored. They're an eclectic and original sounding group that really knows how to rock. Fantastic stuff.
Rating: 4.5
Track Listing:
1. "Livin' in the Jungle" (3:22)
2. "I'm Gonna Leave You" (3:51)
3. "Booty City" (2:41)
4. "Black Snake" (3:03)
5. "She's So Scandalous" (4:35)
6. "Messin" (2:26)
7. "Mustang Ranch" (3:41)
8. "You Been Lyin" (3:31)
9. "Ballad of Jimmy Tanks" (3:24)
10. "Since I Met My Baby" (4:15)
11. "Jesus Took My Hand" (3:57)
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