Last year, guitarist Dave Stryker put out a smoking album that revisited Baby Boomer hits. He continues the winning idea, with an exchange of Steve Nelson’s vibes replacing the tenor sax. Jared Gold’s Hammond and McClenty Hunter’s drums make for a torrid groove fest here.
There’s lots of Motown-styled soul covers here, and it works like peanut butter and jelly. The team shuffles the blues on the Isley Brothers’ “Harvest For The World” and boogaloo on the Temptations’ “I Cant’ Get Next To You.” A hip “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” and the funky backbeat of “Trouble Man” have some juicy guitar licks, while the soft “Send One Your Love” melds glorious vibes and strings. A dash of Wes Montgomery pops out on “Midnight Cowboy” and the band boogaloos to “Time of the Season.” Best of all is the closing track, a read of “White Room” that is so hip that you’ll wonder why it wasn’t done like this originally-the whip up the Cream on this one! No sophomore jinx here.