Oscars Motel

Oscars Motel, the third Alligator album from the Cash Box Kings, opens with wailing harmonica and a heavy-footed stomp that conjures the ghost of Howlin Wolf -- a sound that commands attention, especially since the Chicago-based band knows how to give this groove an appropriate amount of grease. "Oscars Motel" suggests that its accompanying album is a collection of unrepentantly down-and-dirty Chicago blues, but as soon as "Down on the South Side" kicks off with a blaring horn fanfare, its clear that Oscars Motel is designed to showcase the range not just of the Cash Box Kings but of their chosen genre. Theres no question the group position themselves as a band carrying the torch for the classic Chicago sound -- apart from the explicit nod to Wolf, they cover Sonny Boy Williamsons "Pontiac Blues" and Muddy Waters "Please Have Mercy" here -- yet they are hardly monochromatic, finding space for soulful R&B, relaxed boogies, haunting slide guitar, and, in "Ride Santa Ride," a Chuck Berry rocker worthy of "Run Rudolph Run." The wit the Cash Box Kings display on "Ride Santa Ride" is apparent throughout Oscars Motel, particularly on "I Want What Chaz Has," where guest John Nemeth delivers punch lines with relish, and "I Cant Stand You," where lead vocalist Oscar Wilson trades pointed barbs with Deitra Farr. Bandleader and chief songwriter Joe Nosek remains dedicated to having his groups vintage sounds address contemporary concerns (or at least speak in a modern vernacular), so he sings a song about a "Hot Little Mess" and another about how "She Dropped the Axe on Me," sensibilities that help the retro stylings seem lively and fresh, not just on these tracks specifically but for the entirety of Oscars Motel. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine