Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears: Scandalous

Videos by American Songwriter

Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears
Scandalous
Lost Highway
[Rating: 3.5 stars]

Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears’ 2009 Lost Highway debut Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is! delivered an eye-opening blast of vintage rock ā€˜nā€™ soul that drew upon Sixties influences like James Brown, Stax Records and Sly Stone. The bandā€™s follow-up Scandalous might lack the debutā€™s element of surprise but it retains the bandā€™s exuberant retro-rooted groove of fierce funk, gritty soul, country blues and roadhouse rock and roll.

A blare of Stax-y horns and a funky guitar lick fuels the energetic opening track ā€œLivinā€™ In The Jungle.ā€ ā€œBooty Cityā€ and ā€œBlack Snakeā€ continue the dance party mood, and itā€™s easy to imagine how well these sweaty little numbers ā€“ both of which clock in under 3:05 on disc ā€“ in concert. The track ā€œSo Scandalousā€ especially showcases the bandā€™s strengths. This slinky yet tough tale about a tawdry woman combines a potent beat, soulful horns and rockinā€™ guitars to create a powerful, dramatic song. Thereā€™s drama of another kind in ā€œMustang Ranch,ā€ a ribald, rowdy account of the bandā€™s stop at the infamous Nevada brothel. Like ā€œMaster Sold My Babyā€ on Tell ā€˜Em, ā€œMessinā€™ā€ is old school country blues that feels from a bygone era while ā€œYou Been Lyinā€™ā€ stands as a rousing Sly and the Family-style workout.

The thoroughly engaging Scandalous certainly satisfying oneā€™s hunger for some stick-to-your-ribs rock ā€˜nā€™ soul music. The band, however, seems approaching a crossroads. They definitely demonstrate their skills at successfully reviving these retro sounds but they are still striving to find their own special voice. On ā€œSince I Met You Baby,ā€ for example, they interestingly infuse a slow-burning soul shouter with some mariachi-ish horns and stinging guitars solos. By moving out of the past, they hint at maybe where their future lays.

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