By Phillip Smith
Contino may just be one of
the coolest bands sporting an accordion to hit the scene. Led by Pete Contino, son of legendary
accordionist, Dick Contino who gave us ‘Lady of Spain’ and ‘Beer Barrel Polka’,
this quintet intertwines Blues, Zydeco, Jazz and Americana music to produce an
album full of spirited songs, rich juicy melodies, and solid vocals.
Even with accordion in hand,
their cover of Lim Liban’s ‘I Don’t Want to Know’ is straight up blues. Al Ek wails away on the harp, providing near
perfect accompaniment to Contino’s vocals on this one about letting go of the
past. Speaking of Contino’s vocals,
they really stand out on their cover of Willie Love’s ‘V-8 Ford’. Ek belts out some great harmonica again, and Billie
Truitt has a nice little solo on keyboards to boot.
They break out the Cajun
seasonings on ‘Zydeco Train’, and ‘Monkey’.
‘Zydeco Train’ makes me want to throw some crawfish in a big ol’ pot,
boil ‘em up, and invite some friends over for a crawfish boil. While Contino and Truitt take on the heaviest
load, you can’t deny that upright bass providing that big steady beat. What a cool sound. ‘Monkey’ a song about infatuation, has a more
chilled vibe to it. It’s slower and
relaxed and will have you rooting for the man and the object of his desire to
make a connection.
Falling into neither the
Blues nor Zydeco category, “Three Cool Cats” originally recorded by the
Coasters and covered by the Beatles as well in 1962, is hip and beat. It has a way of creeping into the
subconscious mind.
I’m very impressed with this
album. It held my interest, sounded
really good, and is good for replay-ability.
