Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers "Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout Miss Thing" 2000

Lavay Smith is internationally recognized as The Queen Of Classic Jazz & Blues in the authentic style of the 1940's and 1950's. Lavay's last album received a prestigious 4 & 1/2 Star review in Downbeat magazine. - discogs

Caught Lavay and the boys at their recurring gig at the Top of the Mark in San Francisco this Summer and was so impressed I ordered up this, her more recent CD, as soon as I got home. A great live act and an excellent recording --time to get back in the studio, Skillet Lickers! Seeing Lavay at the Top of the Mark is a wonderful San Francisco experience. Despite Armistead Maupin's dissing of the club in Tales of the City, the views of the town are amazing and the cover charge is reasonable ($10 when I was there, and they forgot to add it to the bill). Add Lavy Smith to the mix, and it was like riding a time machine back to a more elegant time. Not a lot of performers putting out big band swing these days (a few do western swing nicely, such as Asleep at the Wheel). Lavay and her group play their music in a way that is respectful of the past but not cloyingly imitative (don't always feel that way about that Setzer dude). It's hard to distinguish their originals from their covers from the 40s. A great group that deserves even more recognition outside of their home town. - A. Herrmann

trax:
01 The Busy Woman's Blues 02 Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout Miss Thing 03 Big Fine Daddy 04 Gee, Baby Ain't I Good to You 05 Now or Never 06 I've Got a Feelin' 07 Roll the Boogie 08 Honey Pie 09 I Want a Little Boy 10 Blow Me a Fat Note 11 Voo-It 12 He Beeped When He Should Have Bopped 13 Hootie Blues 14 Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans- 15 Sent for You Yesterday (And Here You Come Today) 16 Winter Wonderland

This music is dedicated to the tradition of Johnny Diego's Rock 'n' Roll Free Sunday!