You Gonna Lose Your Head

The Hoys (singer/songwriter/harmonica ace Johnny and his rock-solid bass-playing partner, Barbara Puciul Hoy) get way more adventurous on their second album with a brace of fresh tunes and finely picked covers. Johnny wrote nine of the 14 tracks on here and demonstrates a big jump forward in the songwriting department with "Beer Bellied Man," "Red Door" and "Made for One Another," heading the band into new waters this time around. Great covers of Lazy Lester's "You Better Listen," John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson's "Mellow Chick Swing" and Muddy Waters' "Just to Be With You" are worthy additions to the track lineup. While Jeremy Berlin's fine piano is still aboard, but the infusion of new blood in the ranks (Slim Bob Berosh on guitar for five tracks and Tauras Biskis kicking the drums around steadily) makes this second effort far more fun and interesting than the debut disc, showing that here's a band in it for the long haul. The party just keeps getting better.