The Hooters - Rocking & Swing (2023)

Way back in the early 80s - before they had a recording contract and were the toast of the Philadelphia club scene - The Hooters sometimes played entire shows accompanied by a horn section that supplemented their unique ska, reggae, and pop-rock musical stew.

The band still tours, and they also released a new album in 2023 that gives fans an opportunity to remember why Philadelphia was so devoted to them all those years ago.

Rocking & Swing is an excellent and fun set of tunes that proves the group haven't abandoned their pop sensibilities at all, but after several decades of forcing their Jamaican influences to operate almost totally from the sidelines it brings the Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian led outfit back home to their roots. They even brought the horn section with them.

Rocking & Swing includes two original, ska-fueled instrumentals: "Guava Jive" and "Pete Rose" (I have no idea why the ballplayer's name is being used as a title other than to connect the outfit back to Philadelphia.)

There are two remakes of songs originally released on The Hooters' early albums: "Engine 999" from Wrong Way Home and "Brother, Don't You Walk Away" from Zig Zag.

A cover of The Rolling Stones' "Connection" - an odd choice considering the Glimmer Twins' obvious drug references in the song - is superior to the English bad boys' original from their 1967 Between the Buttons long player.

Easily the most accessible track from R&S is "Why Won't You Call Me Back." It became the single lifted from the set and deserves to be a hit.

The LP includes eight songs while the CD and digital versions add a live bonus track - a cover of "Man in the Street" - originally done by a ska-band appropriately named the Skatellites. During The Hooters' club years, it was standard operating procedure for them to play this instrumental every night. This take is enhanced by an appropriately named horn section, Men in the Steet, from a live 2022 performance at The Keswick Theater, a local, suburban Philly venue.

According to The Hooters' website, both the LP and CD versions are out of stock. You can still download all nine songs digitally from iTunes and Amazon. Do it. You won't be sorry.

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