Cherry Poppin' Daddies' sixth studio album, 2013's
White Teeth Black Thoughts, is the band's first album of all swing-oriented material since their hit 1997 compilation
Zoot Suit Riot. The album also follows up the group's more eclectic, world music-infused 2008 album
Susquehanna and ska-centric 2009 compilation Skaboy JFK. Loosely inspired by the American financial crisis of 2007-2008, lead singer Steve Perry began re-investigating various Dust Bowl and Depression-era swing songs as a way of finding historical context for the nation's troubles. This led Perry and
the Daddies to cover several songs from the '30s, '40s, and '50s, something the band had heretofore eschewed in favor of sticking to original material. To these ends, the band takes on
Wynonie Harris' "Bloodshot Eyes,"
Bull Moose Jackson's "I Want a Bowlegged Woman," and
Louis Jordan's "Doug the Jitterbug." While these cover songs never stray too far afield from the original arrangements, they do sound fresh and imbued with that crisp (punk-informed, if not literally punk-sounding)
Cherry Poppin' Daddies style of swing. Elsewhere, the band delves into several no less compelling originals, including the very socio-satirical "The Babooch," the bluesy "I Love American Music," and the glitter rock meets
Cab Calloway-sounding "Brown Flight Jacket." The result is an album of exuberant, urbane dance music that moves from popular standards to new compositions with devilish ease. ~ Matt Collar