Review by PamelaD
4 stars out of 4
The first time I heard Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks
happened back in the early seventies. From that point, I
was totally hooked, playing the life right out of his
albums. Hoping that someday I'd get a chance to see them
in concert. Well, here it is the twenty-first century,
and I finally got the next best thing, the newly released
album by Dan Hicks and The Hot Licks called, "Alive &
Lickin'"(2001 Surfdog). A live performance that was
recorded earlier this year, while on their 2001 U.S.Tour.
This is the first live album recorded by Dan Hicks and The
Hot Licks, since the album "Where's The Money" was
released back in 1971.
I'm not a big fan of "live" recordings, there's usually
too much background noise, or the artist goes off on these
long drawn out tangents, in my opinion, it takes away from the music. Well,
you won't find any of that here with "Alive & Lickin'", the sound quality
is sharp and clear, as if your sitting at a front table next to the stage.
Any buzz from the crowd, is part of the banter and audience participation
that make a Hicks concert so special.
This new album is laced throughout with witty observations and the driest
of humor that Hicks is so well known. The music itself, is a mix of the
old favorites, "How Can I Miss You, When You Won't Go Away?"(yodel along),
"I Feel Like Singin'", and new tunes like, "Wild About My Lovin'". The
strength of this new album, like all the others before, comes from the
unique styling of the music. A blending of jazz with country, ragtime
with doo-wop, Swing with honky-tonk, and folk with blues, resulting in
a smoothly delicious, toe-tapping good time.
For those of you who have recently discovered Dan Hicks and The Hot Licks,
I highly recommend "Alive & Lickin'", it has the best of both past and
present. To all his long-time fans, this album is a "must have" for adding
to your collection. "Alive & Lickin'", is a perfect follow up to last
years very successful, "Beat The Heat" album. Until the day I actually
get to see them in concert, I'm sure to wear the life right out of this
album too.
|
