BLACK JOE LEWIS & THE HONEYBEARS – TELL ‘EM WHAT YOUR NAME IS!
We all know that they grow ’em big in Texas and Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears are no exception. Hailing from the cultural heart of the Big T, Austin, Joe and Co. unleash Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is! at breakneck speed on an unsuspecting public (they are sure to be one of the surprise hits at the Sydney Festival). The bastard child of the MC5 and James Brown conceived in a toilet stall at a Wilson Pickett concert, this band is all horn. R’nB at lung-busting volume that rarely lets up, even when you beg it to. All of these tunes on Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is! were written on the run, and that is their strength and their weakness. Like the best of live performances the energy is audible, the sweat drips from your player. But the occasional change in pace and intensity would heighten their impact. But then it’s over and you can’t really remember where you have been; so you hit play again.
*** 1/2
