A tribute to the classic films noir of the 40s and 50s is deftly delivered by Brian “Big B” Burlson/g-voc, Erin Pitman/dr, Mitch Sharpe/eb and wide range of cameo artists. The smart part of the album is that each song is an original, and dedicated to a certain noir theme. The arrangements all hit hard, and Burlson has a foreboding voice for the lyrics, but as with the genre of films, it’s the atmosphere, shadows and lighting that is what counts.
The team struts out on “Sitting On The Devil’s Lap” and gets metallic for “God’s Lonely Man”. There’s some Chicago blues from Burlson’s guitar on “All Bad” and a Bo Diddley vamp for “Ben Franklin and the Number Five Combo”. Sharpe delivers a slithering line on “Just Another Harlem Sunset” and the team is as dark as an Orson Wells film on “About To Get Evil”. Pack heat for this one.