★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Tenor sax and trumpet veterans jam. Sound like they’re having fun, like on the eight-minute "Kitty," a lost Bond theme that never was. Swinging and rolling. Very pleasant and sometimes they even get close to something like a bop. Nothing that blows your mind or drops your jaw but all very professional, skilled, and melodic. Wynton Marsalis said this is music for "grown folks" and if you don’t like it you need to stay home sucking your thumb and playing video games. That kind of sounds like fun, too, though. Favorite tracks: "Better Go," "Kitty."
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Twelfth, Old 97’s, 2020, :43
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
The first artist to be featured here three times is, yep, the Old 97's. This is their new album. Possibly their best since Too Far To Care. Maybe sometime in the future I'll think it's five stars. Some truly genius songs on this one. If I tried to quote the good lines I'd just end up listing the lyrics to the whole song. Oh what the hell. “I like you better than a six pack of beer / And that’s the perfect amount / To make my vision unclear.” Classic. "It's safe to say we're in a real bad way / Mama used to try, now all she does is pray." Got some Magnetic Fields-esque lyrics, a Yo la Tengo melody, fast rhythms and lyrical callbacks. That last part sounds like an Old 97's line! What rhymes with callbacks? Ball sacks! This thing writes itself. I'll add that, with all due respect to "West TX Teardrops" and other terrific Murry tunes, his contributions to this album aren't really up there with his finest efforts. Favorite tracks: "Confessional Boxing," "The Dropouts," "I Like You Better."
