Cure for the Common Groove

The latest CD from former Grinderswitch frontman, Dru Lombar, and his hot rocking band, Dr. Hector & the Groove Injectors arrived in 1998. With lots of good ol' rock & roll soul, a massive dose of rhythm & blues, and some infectious guitar playing, Cure for the Common Groove hits the spot better than an Alka Seltzer after a huge Mexican dinner. This is a disc that begs, no, demands to be heard time and time again. Set the repeat button on the disc changer, sit back and groove. That's what the doctor orders. It'll heal your afflictions, for sure. Celebrating ten years of red-hot recording, the CD includes tracks from previous Dr. Hector offerings such as "14 Carat Fool," co-written by Lombar and King Snake label chief and producer, Bob Greenlee, or "Pickin' the Blues," an Elmore James favorite that showcases Lombar at his guitar pickin' best. Cure rocks its way through the opening cut, an original electric blues number called "Risky Business," and gets downright funky with a saxophone-laced rendition of the J.D. Loudermilk composition "Bad News." "Safe in Your Arms Again" is a stone-cold blues throw-down that will have everyone closing their eyes and swaying from side to side like a Ray Charles wannabe while pretending to play some blues air guitar. R&B takes over with "I Wonder Where I'm Going to Sleep Tonight," and then carries on with the theme, with an almost Motown-sounding "Can't Take No for an Answer." One of the best tracks on the record is the energized "Two Strong People," a cut with all the heart and soul of an Ike & Tina Turner romp. "Emergency" closes out the 18-song set with Lombar tossing in some Duane Allman-influenced slide guitar over yet another excellent beat and lyric. Dru Lombar has one of the finest voices in Southern music, and his guitar playing is always right on the money. Cure for the Common Groove is just what the doctor ordered. You'll be out of that bed and up dancing again in no time. ~ Michael B. Smith, Rovi