29042014 - Chuck E. Weiss "Red Beans and Weiss"

I first became aware of the great Chuck E. Weiss when he released his fantabulous album "Old Souls and Wolf Tickets" in 2001. Any friend of Tom Waits' is a friend of mine I thought, and haven't stopped playing the album since. Now he's back, and this time he has found a label home with Anti, where Waits himself also resides. And may I tell you, Mr. Weiss is still the coolest cat around! From raunchy album opener "Tupelo Joe", through tunes like the jazz-noir strut of "Shushie", cabaret-mariachi boozefest "Hey Pendejo" and the rambling "Boston Blackie" he mostly lays down a swinging New Orleansy blues groove, with hints of whatever he could think of at the time. And closing an album with the silliest titled triplet of songs you will stumble across this year: "The Hink-A-Dink" (what?), "Oo Poo Pa Do in the Rebop" (come again?) and "Willy's in the Pee Pee House" (now that's just...) is something not may others would get away with, but for good ol' Chuck it makes perfect sense.