Perennial Favorites [ENHANCED CD]
Recorded over a year before its release and put on hold thanks to the phenomenal ride of 1996'sHot, their third release is where the jazz-hoppin' Squirrel Nut Zippers separate from the rest of the nostalgic Voodoo Cherry Daddy pack.Perennial Favoritescovers a lot of ground: aching balladry ("Low Down Man," complete with pedal steel and intoned lovingly by chanteuse Katharine Whalen), hilarious show-tune homages ("Ghost of Stephen Foster"), romping props to the past ("Pallin' with Al," a nod to guitarist Al Casey). Thanks to imaginative arrangements, "The Kraken" and "My Drag" transcend retro hipness to forge unique sonic paths. "Suits Are Picking Up the Bill," a zingy diatribe on capitalism, may not turn out to be a smash hit like the earlier "Hell," but theseFavoritesshould endure.--Don Harrison