An energetic band playing a wide variety of music. Intriguing originals, classic covers, and eccentric obscurities in an unorthodox format! Truly slick!

Lacy and Rasner, continuing a rich musical relationship that spans over 30 years and several bands, (J.J. Wilson Band, The Chutzpah Boys), trade lead vocals and track all instruments themselves. The groovy collection of songs are tastefully sparse and often contain unorthodox combinations of acoustic and electric textures that seem like they shouldn’t work together but do. The opener, Let It Shine, drops into a hard, funky groove with Lacy’s light and airy Bouzouki handling James Brown-like stabs and Rasner’s guitar, through a Leslie speaker, squeezing out plenty of Jimmie Vaughan style licks. The single, Impala Paula, is an archetypal, “cars song” double entendre describing a woman/car no man will ever possess or touch… no man is worthy of that ‘64. Impala features Lacy’s rich husky voice and Rasner’s sizzling Ry Cooder-style bottleneck guitar: a trademark sound of Greasy Dashiki; featured on the Roots-Reggae, Lacy penned, Messenger and the Lee Dorsey cover Work, Work, Work. The barrio groove of Impala and the last few bars of the song are clearly a nod to War’s “Papa Dee” Allen and Thomas Ray Brown. As much fun as Impala is, tunes such as Lacy’s False Prophets and Rasner’s I’m Here make scathing comments on corporate/neoliberal America and religious hypocrisy. Indeed, Let It Shine, while not at all a “Christian” album, is spiritually sincere. I’m Here is a first person parable where the protagonist represents every downtrodden soul whose good Samaritan is yet to arrive. Make Love To Make Up and Abide highlight the band’s dynamic and emotional versatility with Lacy’s delicate Bouzouki and Weissenborn lap steel lines nicely complimenting Rasner’s blue-eyed soul singing. Let It Shine’s timing is apt; we all could use something old, something new, something different and something positive.

Lana Lee – Night of Joy Press – 2020