West Coast House Party

The third release from The Fabulous Thunderbirds' muscular lead guitarist is less a solo album than a forum for the obviously well-connected Kid Ramos to host a congregation of some of the country's best swing-influenced talent as they blow through an hour of prime West Coast jump blues. Between the ever-present horns and a long list of lead vocalists, including Lynwood Slim, Duke Robillard, Big Sandy, the Thunderbirds' Kim Wilson, and ex-employer James Harman, trading off the spotlight, it's tough for Ramos to assert himself as a guitarist with a distinctive sound amongst the excitement of all the guest appearances. Interestingly, the star also invites like-minded guitarists such as Little Charlie Baty, Rusty Zinn, and one of the genre's founding fathers, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown to his party, further diluting the effect of his own contributions. That minor complaint aside, this is a consistently exciting and joyously well-performed disc of upbeat jump blues, played with a one-take intensity that's contagious. The musicians sound like they're having a blast and that infectious feeling translates to the music, as this gifted crew runs through relatively obscure covers of Amos Milburn, Ray Brown, and Dave Bartholomew tunes, along with a handful of originals that sound as if they were written in the '50s — the golden age of this swinging sound. "Real Gone Lover," featuring Kim Wilson's vocal and powerful harp, is the only track where the horns sit out and the sound is stripped down to a rugged trio, providing the listener a chance to hear Kid Ramos tear through a tune without regard to the tight charts that are this album's feature attraction. The extensive 12-page booklet not only offers detailed track information — a must with a project that includes so many different musicians and soloists on each tune — but provides a capsule history of jump blues, adding immensely to the enjoyment of the disc. Ultimately, you won't learn much more about Kid Ramos' substantial talents as anything but a terrific bandleader and the guy you'd want in charge of the guest list to your next shindig. But it's to his credit that he selflessly hands over the focus on his own release to his talented backing band and guest stars, culminating in a winning project, astonishingly free of egos from any of its participants.