Jools Holland & his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra - 'Swinging The Blues Dancing The Ska' (Radar Records) Released 07/11/05

This release possesses more than joie de vivre, it oozes prana, it's a platter of adrenaline, will have you dancing on your own grave. Julio and his Orchestra have remained pretty much unchanged these last seven years, allowing the confidence of the Big Band of some seventeen members plus guest vocalists to strike out and take you by the lapels to the dance floor, spin you round, wiggle your ass to the boogie-woogie. With no less than a generous 21 tracks, there's a real freshness and energy about these tracks - many now filed-classics of their genres, the Band employing 1-3 takes on the tracks, so capturing the live-ness of the recording. It has all the fun of one of those photos where they try to squeeze as many people into/onto a Mini - here there's 17.

'Juice Head Blues' sees Sam Brown belt out a screamer over the massive brass section about Her Juice Head Man, written by Dinah Washington -  He just ain't no good, staying out all day/night getting juiced then home to pick a fight, a track with a-tinkling Jools, brass and swagger like your on Bourbon Street. 'Feeling Fine' is a ray of sunshine with a classic ska rhythm and a skanking backbeat, turns for the brass to set up front. T-Bone Walker's 'You Don't Love Me' sees Jools singing and playing the honky-tonk, leading the Band to destinations unknown - down the Mississippi, deep down South.

'Seven Acts Of Mercy' shows what a fabulous vocalist we have in Sam Brown, a mix of Carole King and an old Motown Diva, what range and delivery - a soulful track with lots of brassy support. 'Dancing Mood' gives a shot of serotonin to the depleted, saying little else, it's all in the rhythm with Jamaican legend Rico Rodriguez and Jools leading forth, a contemporary remix added with electronic squiggles. 'Casbah Blues' by Woody Herman is one of those tracks that'd crop up on a Woody Allen movie, a classic - noodling clarinet and full use of the brass section plus Hammond organ.

'Double O Boogie' was written to open the live performance and sounds like one of those tracks to accompany the old 1930's Mob-movies where the front page of the newspaper is seen spinning to a standstill revealing the bulletin - "Crime Boss Clobbered – Last Breath Into His Spag-Bol". 'Country Man' swings with Ruby Turner at the mic and a whole lot of motion-commotion. 'Everybody Needs Somebody To Love' may have been played by every pub-band down the years - Jools and Band take it nowhere new, it's still a classic movie track. Ruby again for the vocals on 'Blowin' In The Wind' by Mr Dylan, bringing a soul-by-the-bucketful delivery, Jools showing they've a better saxophanist with crystal-clear Lisa Graham than Lisa Simpson. 'Be My Guest' by Fats Domino is given the happy-ska treatment for partnering up with your loved ones. 'Something's Going On'  is a Sam Brown and Jools penned song whereby they take the lead, the drummer resigned to the cymbal,  the Band can only clap to 2/3 of the song when they light up and take the tune away. 

Jools doesn't play the big-ego, but with verve and artistry leads the Band with gusto - delivering fresh and energetic re-stylings and renditions of old classics and standards. There's little let-up, no 'candle-light-gaze-into-the-others-eyes' songs, most of the album has the frenetic pace of what 3xdouble espressos with tequila and bourbon-chasers would do to the blood-stream over the evening, and those with a heart condition are advised to handle with care. For the rest - dust those dancing shoes, put on your best suit/dress and cut a whirl. The Muppets Orchestra were good with Animal on drums, Fuzzy Bear...  - these guys are the real pros.