Mafioso Ska (Shantytown, 2005)

*GUEST REVIEW*
How can you not love an album that begins with the sound of a guy getting gunned down for mentioning the name of the very band you're about to get an earful of? Apart from an obvious sense of humor, California's Los Hooligans wield some expert ska skills as well. Even for a ska outfit they're heavy on the horns (six of 'em), and that brass sure does blaze. Plus they know when a dose of jazz, rockish guitar, or Latin rhythm will goose things along. The instrumental pieces come across stronger than the vocal ones, since that's where the nuances really show through, but the ordinary-guy sentiments of songs like "Forget Why You Still Think of Me" and "Just Let Me Be a Man" throw in a few grins along with the urges to dance. Some of the relentless rhythmic gallop that characterizes much ska is toned down here in favor of a lighter touch that at times seems to split the difference between ska and swing, giving the band an open, grooving feel that fits their cover of Carly Simon's "You Belong to Me" and most everywhere else as well.  Equal parts vintage cool and original swagger, Mafioso Ska is mobs of fun.

- Tom Orr