A Strong Effort
Karl W. Nehring | Ostrander, OH USA | 07/07/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Formerly known as the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, this swinging aggregation from the Crescent City changes its sound as well as its name on this release, smoothing things out a bit, adding some guitar and keyboards to their musical gumbo, as if they had spent some time listening to some Crusaders albums and decided to add just a touch of L.A. hipness and sophistication to their basic New Orleans sound. Still, their basic musical integrity shines through, and Ears to the Wall is a musical delight. These guys have made a number of fine recordings over the last several years, but this is probably their most consistently strong effort from cut to cut, and I can only hope that it reaches the larger audience that the group deserves to reach. Tasty!"