Oscar's 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. "Oscar's 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, it's clear that
Oscar's Motel is designed to showcase the range not just of
the Cash Box Kings but of their chosen genre. There's 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 Williamson's "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
Oscar's Motel, particularly on "I Want What Chaz Has," where guest
John Nemeth delivers punch lines with relish, and "I Can't Stand You," where lead vocalist
Oscar Wilson trades pointed barbs with
Deitra Farr. Bandleader and chief songwriter
Joe Nosek remains dedicated to having his group's 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
Oscar's Motel. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
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