Dance Hall Pimps

Beast For Love

Lakeshore Records

One of the first things you’ll notice about the Dance Hall Pimps is the way they  manage to make even the most straightforward of beats swing. It’s as though the rhythm section learned how to play before rock ever reared its head. There’s a big band swing to all of it, thankfully.

Their debut Beast For Love, is a good time throw back disc focusing mostly on campy 1950’s monster shlock-horror themed songs. “Mommy Was a Zombie” and “Beast For Love” are stand out tracks. And by having a saxophone in the band to color the leads and offer a distinct warmth to the rhythm, it gives the band the feel of The Spencer Davis Group, Madness and Cab Calloway.

“You’d Drink Like I do too” seems inspired by JoeJackson’s “What’s the Point in Getting Sober,” with a lazy and raucous, boozy New Orleans beat. It should be used to signal last call.

DHP’s version of Lou Reed’s Walk on the Wild Side” is positively sunny. Gone is Reed’s droll delivery as the lyrics wax poetic on cross dressing hustlers and dope fiends.  Lead vocalist, RJC delivers the lines with an unexpected  exuberance.

If this was 1963, DHP would be the house band in a creepy beach party flick. The band scores major points by refusing to take themselves too seriously and playing retro rock like it never went out of style.