Jump Supercar

The hard-edged, horn-fueled R&B band Roomful of Blues has been going strong since the 1960s, building its reputation with electrifying live shows and an irresistible blend of blues, swing, rock, and soul. RAISIN' A RUCKUS shows the group has lost none of its punch. New lead singer Dave Howard brings his gruff, growling pipes to the Roomful's brass-tacks charge, and the rhythm section, horns, and lead instruments have never sounded better. With a sound that nods to the jump blues of yesteryear, but with steely contemporary edge, RAISIN' A RUCKUS does precisely what its title suggests. Get your dancing shoes and head for the floor.

Since joining the Stony Plain roster in 1993, Duke Robillard has released an average of one album per year with the Canadian roots and blues label, and his sixteenth is a little bit of a departure: where his previous efforts have focused mainly on jazz and blues, this one is a celebration of the jump blues and R&B of the '40s and '50s, and Robillard sounds just as natural and is clearly having just as good a time with this repertoire as he always has on his previous projects. Highlights include a wonderful jump blues instrumental arrangement of the traditional song "Frankie and Johnny," an equally great vocal duet between Robillard and Sunny Crownover on "I Wanna Hug You, Kiss You, Squeeze You" and an absolutely brilliant rendition of the Ike Turner R&B classic "Tore Up."