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Space-Age, Latin, Exotica,
Balladiers, and Las Vegas Lounge. Music for an
atomic age! >November 12, 2004
I will try not to gush, but I warn you, I can't help myself.
Big T and the Bada-Bings has joined The Green Lounge's playlist and will be in heavy rotation starting today.
This is how our listening session went:
I asked if we could listen to some of the new CD's I had been sent from independent labels and got the 'Oh God' look from my partner. We started playing the compilation album, "Born To Be Wild", and after every single cut, we would look at each other and say, "These guys are really good."
"Born To Be Wild" is probably one of the best new CD's that has been sent to me in quite some time. Craig Thompson is "Big T" and the vocalist of this hard to define big band ensemble. As you begin listening to the album, you think you have his vocal style nailed down, when the next track sidetracks you again and yet again with each passing track. Mr. Thompson's song stylings are all over the map and fortunately for us listeners, he is able to cover such a wide array of musical styles with such greatness that he is not easily pidgeon-holed.
He can cut a rug in the "Louis Prima" genre with songs like "Caldonia" and "Buona Sera"; he can soothe us with lovingly-phrased standards such as "Since I Fell For You" and "Girl From Ipanema" a la "Tony Bennett"; and he can torch us with his blues renditions of "Pride and Joy", "Dance With Me" and "Let The Good Times Roll" in the panache style of "Stevie Ray Vaughn." But he is none of these people - he truly makes these standards and well-known songs his own.
After listening to this very balanced compilation, I very much wanted to be a part of the audience evidenced on the last two tracks. I bet these guys put on an incredible live show.
The backing band, "The Bada-Bings", are excellent in their tone and style and compliment Craig's vocals with aplomb. This is a good band to be backed-up by, with arrangements that re-energize these standards for repeated listening. The production values of the recordings, themselves, are clean, crisp and very well engineered.
I say "Run - Don't Walk" to pick up this very exciting CD that has crossed my path. It will become a part of my permanent collection and I can't wait to listen to it again and again and again....
You can purchase and find out more about this group at www.bigt-music.com.
I give these 6 Martini's out of a possible 4. Thank you Craig for sending this my way.
Bottoms Up!!
Steve
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