Hot Club of Cowtown - Wishful Thinking

The Hot Club of Cowtown is back from a long hiatus of solo projects with their new album "Wishful Thinking." They're back to their old tricks in some ways -- blazing instrumental numbers and soulful, slow ballads, but they've got a few new tricks too. Some of these new tricks work better than others, but overall, this is a worthy Hot Club album, and I'm glad to add it to my collection.

If you're new to the Hot Club, I recommend you start with their greatest hits album or their fantastic live "Continental Stomp" album. Both are great surveys of their neo-Western Swing crossed with the early Jazz Age sound of the 1920's and 30's. It's all scorching fiddle solos, burning guitar leads, and bowel-shaking bass. Mix in Whit's clever singing and Elana's dulcet harmony singing, and you've got one of my favorite retro-sound bands.

If you're familiar with the Hot Club, though, by all means add "Wishful Thinking" to your collection. You'll find it kick-starts with "Can't Go On This Way," whose energy is renewed throughout the album by high-powered instrumentals like "Heart of Romain" and "The Magic Violin." This energy is punctuated with the slow, sad ballad like Whit's beautiful rendition of "Georgia" and Elana's "What You Meant to Me."

The most surprising song of the album, to me, though, is the second tune called "Reunion." Obviously autobiographical, Elana sings of returning to a high school class reunion and of how the "music stopped for them" but "didn't stop for me." It's far too introspective to be part of the normal Hot Club fair, but it's a very welcome addition. It gets a little emotionally awkward in spots, but that dissonance only improves its charm -- it's unflinchingly self-aware. I think this bears the mark of some side-project work creeping into the band's mainstream. I'd like to see how this song comes off live.

Now for my perennial complaint of the Hot Club. I've said this several times before, and I'll say it again -- Elana doesn't play the tart well. I'm not sure why she feels she must be a temptress. She does the scorned woman sound very well, though -- bitter with a touch of vengeance, in songs like "What You Meant to Me" and others from their past catalog. But her rendition of "Someone To Watch Over Me" in a whispery I'm-so-sexy voice turns me cold. Her version of "Long Way Home" by Norah Jones -- a far superior singer -- probably sounds great live, but is not strong enough to merit a great album single. I would recommend that Elana stick to her singular fiddle playing and, when singing, interpret songs by vocal stylists. If she sang a Johnny Cash tune, or Willie, or even Kristofferson (for God's sake) with her slow, soothing style, though, the contrast would work well to her strengths.

The other oddity of this album is the normally incredibly sad and Bluesy "Columbus Stockade Blues" -- done in an almost "Howdy Doody" theme-song style. It's strangely catchy, even if a bit jarring, and I bet is ridiculously funny live. On the album, though, the somber song lyrics sound strangely neutered delivered in such a comic fashion.

All in all, it's difficult to top their albums from the past -- they were so strong. But songs like "Can't Go On This Way" and "Georgia" will become immediate Hot Club fan favorites and standards. I'm very glad they got back together again, are touring again, and have put out some excellent -- and sometimes boundary-pushing -- material. Viva la Hot Club!