Terrifying Stories from T-Bone Town

After nearly 25 years in the trenches, Honey B. & T-Bones is that rara avis capable of integrating traditions of a chosen genre with current popular trends for a fresh and explosive new sound. After some years of dealing modern pop music under the abbreviation HBTB, the band not so much returns to form as it sidetracks into its more natural environment. The band holds nothing back after the chugging traditional opener "Funky Women." "Big D." churns its hoodoo with a freight train beat accompanied by Honey B.'s soulful vocals, some eloquent guitar licks, and a cheerful percussive cough. "Skull Flag" breaks down any further resistance with a blistering guitar, snappy lyrics, and a Wall of Sound tempered only by a pitch-perfect vocal delivery. Aija "Honey B." Puurtinen projects her vocals with a nuanced force rarely witnessed. Her songwriting and bass are equally at peak form on this record. Esa Kuloniemi is one of the finest guitar players around, and like any true master he is capable of peeling the paint off the walls. More importantly, perhaps, he understands the need for restraint and even silence in service of the music. Further songs, like "Electric Eye" and a revisit of their own classic, "Wolf Is Back," add shadings and variation to the mix with more rock & roll, R&B, a Bo Diddley beat, and garage punk. Terrifying Stories from T-Bone Town is a killer collection from a band that has only improved with age. ~ JT Lindroos|