The Gaddabouts

A New York supergroup of sorts, the Gaddabouts is fronted by singer/songwriter Edie Brickell, anchored by drummer Steve Gadd, and featuring guitarist Andy Fairweather-Low and bassist Pino Palladino. Their eponymous 2011 debut — released just a week after Brickell's self-titled 2011 album — is in comfortable territory for the group’s singer/songwriter, filled with the kind of rangy, loping folk-rock that turned her into a star back in 1988, but it also has an element of serious cabaret swing and torch song, plus a bit of blues, the group so dexterous they slide into these old-timey threads without causing a ripple. The songs are all sturdy enough, but the appeal of The Gaddabouts is that relaxed, seasoned professionalism: the band has considerable chops but they never flaunt their skill, they lay back into the groove and it’s hard not to find their easy sway ingratiating.