The second album by
Band of Oz is a solid beach music effort with a slightly harder than usual rock & roll edge, pulling back slightly from the pure R&B sound that has driven most of their recordings. "One Foot Dragging," in particular, ought to be a favorite of bar bands everywhere, and the group does right by
the Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There" and also by
the Drifters' standard "Ruby Baby." Not that they slight their signature sound -- with "Over the Rainbow" here, plus a pounding version of "I Love the Nightlife" (cut live at Red's Beach Music Club in Raleigh, NC), there's plenty of what one expects to be paying for on this CD, and a lot more besides. ~ Bruce Eder