Heavy Petting
The word here is polish. This hot, jumping septet exudes the kind of slick interpretation that only comes from playing a lot of gigs and spending most of their waking hours on the road. The Love Dogs have their hands (or paws) firmly on the coattails of the current neo-swing craz Lead singer E. Duato "Ed" Scheer, who also produced this album (their secnd), steers his pack through 14 high-energy numbers. Most  of the dynamic solos are courtesy of the ever-so-tight horn section. Myanna, tenor sax, pretty much steals the show with her fiery solo work. Myanna and keyboardist Alizon Lissance, by the way, were members of the popular East Coast band Girls Night Out. The quality of the material is about even, although "Too Old to Die Young" does get the prize for a clever title. This will be nonstop, breathless fun for those who don't tire easily.--Lars Gandil