The newest album from the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, “Skaboy JFK,” is a new and exciting collection of the band’s previous songs from one genre: ska.
Ska is essentially elements of Jamaican and Caribbean music styles mixed with 80s punk rock, made popular by such bands as Sublime, No Doubt, and Reel Big Fish.
Less than a minute into the CD and I found myself swaying and moving to the music. The upbeat reggae guitar coupled with the big band sound of the brass section made for a happy toe tapping experience.
One song in particular that struck me was “Sockable Face Club,” a song in which the lyrics tell a story about a guy who likes to punch people in the face. This song is frantically fast, but fun once you get your head wrapped around the rhythm. The song features a fantastic old time piano solo in the middle, punctuated with cartoon-like sounds of horns honking, guns blasting, and cows mooing. This is a funny contradiction, such violent lyrics with happy upbeat music.
“Hi and Lo” was also a great song. It featured a nice chorus with an interesting melody and harmony blend in a fun punk style. “Pool Shark,” on the other hand, was a more swing-like song that sported a harder rock breakdown in the middle and fun vocals reminiscent of the band Sublime.
Other songs were less than spectacular. I found the title song, “Skaboy JFK” to be repetitious enough to be slightly boring. It took a little willpower to remain interested in the song after two minutes.
Halfway through the CD, the rhythm ultimately became predictable and the melodies ran together. Each song has at least one unique element, such as a solo or feature, but I found the songs were blending together in my head. For example, “Cosa Nostra” has a slow tempo and it features the bass guitar and the muted trumpet, but I could not tell the difference between its basic tune and the tune of the other songs.
According to www.musicremedy.com, “Skaboy JFK,” released Sept. 29, and is a collection of their best ska songs just as “Zoot Suit Riot” was a collection of their swing songs.
I usually don’t care for compilations unless the group is legendary enough to warrant a greatest hits album. This kind of genre compilation, however, was a clever idea because it comes in handy for those who enjoy the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies’ ska music but not their other styles.
I would recommend that if you enjoy all the music of the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, you should purchase their previous albums and place them on shuffle or random play. That way you can get all the unique styles this group displays, without any of the monotony that you may get from listening to only one genre. However, for you die-hard Ska fans out there, this is a great album for you.