“Colin James and The Little Big Band II”

Colin James and The Little Big Band

Between 1949 and 1955, the big band sound was waning, and rock ‘n’ roll hadn’t actually been invented yet.

So what did people do for fun?

Jump blues bands were paring down their horn sections and filling them in with sound not yet identified as rock. Think of it as a post-World War II fusion of rockabilly, blues, swing and big-band jazz.

Colin James is a Canadian rock and blues man who followed up two successful albums in ’93 with a style no one else dared to play during his time. He started a project known as The Little Big Band and began playing swing and jump blues before grunge was even cold.

James’ second jump blues release, “Colin James and The Little Blues Band II,” comes at a time when swing is coming back faster than a bullet train.

We can only hope the guy who helped make this resurgence possible won’t get lost in the swell because “Colin James and The Little Blues Band II” blew the pretenders out of the water.

This album brings Willie Dixon, Ray Charles, Cab Calloway, Jimmy Wilson and Calvin Bowes back to a new audience. In fact, several of the tracks haven’t been available for years, including the opening track originally performed by Jimmy Wilson, “Jumpin’ From Six to Six.”

This album is 14 tracks of solid jumpin’ and jivin’. There isn’t a loser in the bunch. The titles alone are enough to make you enthusiastic.

“Safronia B” has some of the coolest lyrics if you like listening to unabashedly cheesy and cool slang from the past, such as “Eyes are muggin’/ Shoot the liquor to me, Johnboy.”

“Let’s Shout (Baby Work Out)” struts out of the CD player with attitude and acts as a reminder that you don’t need big hair to play guitar. James’ ax is on fire and so is his rendition of this blues standard.

“C’mon With the C’mon” swings old-school. This track is fast and furious and begs the question: How did these guys used to play so fast without speed?

This album is solid platinum from start to finish. Buy it for no other reason than for the fact that it’s something newer than Cherry Poppin’ Daddies.

5 stars out of five

— Greg Jerrett

“International Anthems For the Human Race”

All Star United

There is a time and place for synthesizers.

Unfortunately, All Star United has decided that that time and place is on its sophomore release, “International Anthems For the Human Race.”

Unlike the group’s debut album, “All Star United,” which included such supremely alternative hits as “Bright Red Carpet” and “Savior of My Universe,” the band’s new album incorporates cheesy string pads and ’70s guitar riffs that are less than appealing.

“Thank You, Goodnight,” a song about a man who has “come back” to the Lord after being “cast away” by the pleasures of sin, sounds a few decades late with its Petra-esque guitars and sing-songy melodies.

Lead vocalist Ian Eskelin’s voice even sounds a little like the voice of Petra’s John Schlitt.

Another time-warped tune, “If We Were Lovers,” screams ’70s with its faint disco beat and predictable key changes designed to build the song.

Though some songs seem out-of-decade due to a synthesizer overdose, there are a few that keep All Star United’s rockin’ band sound.

“Popular Americans,” a song that drips with the sarcasm the band has become known for, embodies All Star United’s trademark musical style.

Another decent track, “I Need You Now,” is a mellow, Beach Boys-sounding tune that uses the sweet unexpected dissonance the band has become notorious for.

A few others, “Everything Will Be Alright” and “Superstar” start out with the band’s notorious fly-by-the-seat-of-its-pants attitude. But as the songs progress, they prove to lack meaty choruses with aligned lyrics.

All Star United proved its ability and talent with its debut release, but unfortunately, most of that is covered by a mirage of mediocrity and overdone synthesizers on this one.

2 1/2 stars out of five

— Ashley Hassebroek

“Deftones Live”

Deftones

The Deftones let it all out on this seven-song live E.P. simply titled “Deftones Live.”

For those of you familiar with the blood curdling vocal styles of Chino Moreno, this record is a must.

“Root,” “Nosebleed” and “Bored” scream with anger, while you can hear the crowd shouting out the almost demonic choruses to each song.

“Lifter,” “Lotion” and “Fireal-Swords” bleed with the classic Moreno whining that leads into swirling vocal patterns that often sound like insane gibberish.

But there is definitely a defined method of madness to the Deftones’ music that can only be appreciated by true west coast hardcore fans.

The only blemish is that the sound quality of the recording may be a little weak for the average listener.

In the spirit of a true live album, the recording was taken straight from the sound board at a show at The Max in Amsterdam. I can best summarize the sound as a very polished garage recording.

The Deftones must have thought about this as well, as they added the studio version of “My Own Summer (Shove it)” as the first track.

Although “Deftones Live” is not an official release in America, the album can be ordered through Maverick Records (Madonna’s label) or Sam Goody outlets.

4 stars out of five

— Chad Calek

“Fundamental”

Puya

What do you get when Ricky Ricardo goes on tour with Pantera and Bad Brains for a year, leaving Lucy at home with the kids while he “takes a little time for himself?”

Puya.

Puya is a quartet from Puerto Rico that grew up listening to the only two radio stations available. One station played traditional Latin salsa beats and sexy, syncopated croons, while the other played a mix of hardcore metal, rap and punk.

When you are influenced by such dissimilar genres of music, you are bound to be unique, and if nothing else, Puya is that.

On the band’s debut album, “Fundamental” (which means the same thing in Spanish and English), Puya reveals the blended sound it perfected after the group moved to the mainland and began missing home.

There is something for everybody on this album. “Oasis” is as heavy as hardcore gets just before it slips into meringue. This is bound to cause a bit of confusion for fans of both sounds.

“Fake” is solid American hardcore sung in Spanish. The good news for hardcore fans is that you won’t be able to tell the difference for the most part; incomprehensible screaming sounds the same in English as it does in Spanish.

Puya uses a lot of horns and Latin beats to fill the spaces between the screams, but one might find it hard to believe that this music will find a wide audience with either group.

Most people don’t want the happy sounds of samba to break up the steady stream of disenfranchised anger they were rolling in a few seconds before.

It’s like driving through Houston on a Saturday night trying to find a good station on an analog tuner. One second you get metal, the next you get “Super Tejano!”

3 stars out of five

— Greg Jerrett

“Trinket”

Trinket

Trinket likes to refer to its music as classic rock for the 21st century.

But the Athens, Georgia-based group sounds more like a combination of the Goo Goo Dolls and Jars of Clay, with a lead singer who really needs voice lessons.

Trinket’s self-titled debut album leaves much to be desired, especially when it comes to originality.

The eleven-track combination of easy-going melodies with an occasional hard guitar or bass riff definitely won’t end up being classified as classic rock, though it may spawn a few radio hits.

Lead vocalist Brian Youmans shared the lyric-writing duties with bassist Tommy Salmon, and together they came up with lines such as “Just look at my face/ I never meant to hurt you/ When you came across the room/ You know I was scared/ I couldn’t get close to you.”

Have these lyrics been sung before?

For an overall impression of the album, close your eyes and pretend you have a throbbing headache. Then, picture your little sibling coming up to you and whining in your ear a line of what what he or she thinks is poetry.

Add some Collective Soul mixed with a bit of bad R.E.M. in the background, and you’ve got a Trinket experience.

1 1/2 stars out of five

— Erika Vohnout

“Morning Tenderness”

Najee

The barely-known but multi-talented musician, Najee, recently released his seventh effort since his debut in 1987. Though his past efforts may not have been as successful, his most recent album, “Morning Tenderness,” should help get his name on the map.

Though targeted at a jazz crowd, the album incorporates a slow, relaxing R & B sound. The lack of vocal interruptions allows the listener to enjoy the smooth jazz tracks.

The album has many high points, including “Indian Summer,” during which pianist Regis Branson exposes his talents on the keys and vocals.

Najee is very different from the majority of musicians today. On the album, he plays flute, soprano and tenor saxophones and keyboard.

“Morning Tenderness” is an impressive release for the virtually unknown Verve Forecast label.

4 1/2 stars out of five

— Brett Noble