Oscar's Motel

by The Cash Box Kings

Overview

Oscar's Motel, the third Alligator album from the Cash Box Kings, opens with wailing harmonica and a heavy-footed stomp that conjures the ghost of Howlin' Wolf -- a sound that commands attention, especially since the Chicago-based band knows how to give this groove an appropriate amount of grease. "Oscar's Motel" suggests that its accompanying album is a collection of unrepentantly down-and-dirty Chicago blues, but as soon as "Down on the South Side" kicks off with a blaring horn fanfare, it's clear that Oscar's Motel is designed to showcase the range not just of the Cash Box Kings but of their chosen genre. There's no question the group position themselves as a band carrying the torch for the classic Chicago sound -- apart from the explicit nod to Wolf, they cover Sonny Boy Williamson's "Pontiac Blues" and Muddy Waters' "Please Have Mercy" here -- yet they are hardly monochromatic, finding space for soulful R&B, relaxed boogies, haunting slide guitar, and, in "Ride Santa Ride," a Chuck Berry rocker worthy of "Run Rudolph Run." The wit the Cash Box Kings display on "Ride Santa Ride" is apparent throughout Oscar's Motel, particularly on "I Want What Chaz Has," where guest John Nemeth delivers punch lines with relish, and "I Can't Stand You," where lead vocalist Oscar Wilson trades pointed barbs with Deitra Farr. Bandleader and chief songwriter Joe Nosek remains dedicated to having his group's vintage sounds address contemporary concerns (or at least speak in a modern vernacular), so he sings a song about a "Hot Little Mess" and another about how "She Dropped the Axe on Me," sensibilities that help the retro stylings seem lively and fresh, not just on these tracks specifically but for the entirety of Oscar's Motel. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	03/17/2023
Label:	Alligator / Alligator Records
UPC:	0014551501114

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Cash Box Kings   Primary Artist
Billy Flynn   Guitar
Deitra Farr   Vocals
Jon McDonald   Guitar
Cameron Webb   Vocals
Oscar Wilson   Vocals
Al Falaschi   Sax (Tenor),Sax (Baritone)
Jim Doherty   Trumpet
Shoji Naito   Drums,Guitar (Rhythm)
Kenny "Beedy Eyes" Smith   Drums
Alex Hall   Drums
John W. Lauler   Bass (Upright),Bass (Electric)
Lee Kanehira   Organ,Piano
Derek Hendrickson   Drums
Xavier Lynn   Guitar (Rhythm)
Andrew Diehl   Guitar (Rhythm)

Technical Credits

Billy Flynn   Composer,Group Member
Deitra Farr   Composer
McKinley Morganfield   Composer
Joe Nosek   Composer,Producer,Group Member
Bruce Iglauer   Mixing,Mastering
Oscar Wilson   Composer,Group Member
Kevin Niemiec   Design
Derrick Procell   Composer
Collin Jordan   Mastering
John Lee Williamson   Composer
Kenny "Beedy Eyes" Smith   Group Member
Terry Abrahamson   Composer
Alex Hall   Mixing,Engineer
John W. Lauler   Group Member
Lee Kanehira   Group Member
Janet Mami Takayama   Band Photo
Dylan Fout   Photography
Jo Naylor   Photography