Customer Reviews

Hot [ENHANCED CD]

5 star:		(86)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

In the midst of my jazz kick a few months ago, I decided to pick this album up without ever hearing of the group. I was simply shocked to see that a band surrounded by grunge rockers in the mid-90s was able to pull off post-modern jazz with such precision and success. If anything, I was interested in how the influences compared to the Miles Davis, John Coltrane and The Rat Pack that I was listening to at the time. These guys (and gal) simply hit the nail on the head with this record. It's fun, and full of swinging jazz, as well as possessing a great sense of humor and enthusiasm. Some of the best tracks include "Got My Own Thing Now," "Put a Lid on It," their break-through hit "Hell," and "Blue Angel". The rest of the tracks are just as infectious as "Hell". If you are really into jazz, you may be a little bugged out by their sense of humor; especially when singer Katharine Whalen transforms herself into Billie Holiday. Nevertheless, this record was aimed toward a younger crowd, so it will most likely be overlooked.

This is a really fun album with a unique bouncy sound. Some reviewers say it's like swing and not a very good imitation of swing. Others say it was never intended to be swing or to imitate it. It doesn't really matter what you call it. It's very listenable and lots of fun. If you are stuck in a groove and only like a certain type of music, this might not be for you, but if you are like me and you like all good music, this album is a joy to listen to. I think I agree with some of the reviewers that it is a mixing of styles and the 'zippers' have their own unique sound. If you want an album that sounds like every other album out there, don't buy this. If you want something a little offbeat and different, get this and don't think twice about it, as you will enjoy it. The album moves along rapidly and it was over with before I realized it. It sounds like the band is having an absolutely wonderful time playing and aren't worried about perfection. That makes it much more enjoyable and it doesn't sound over-produced, like so many albums. It's more like live music; as we all know live is almost always better than recorded.

When I first heard the song "Hell" I was completely mesmerized by the sound, the music, the lyrics of what I was hearing. I had never before heard music so immediately enjoyable or for that matter so obviously indebted to the talent of the performers. I went out and bought the album the next day and have been a fan ever since. Being born in 1980 I wasn't the slightest bit aware of jazz music's existence and I owe my knowledge and my love of Jazz to the Squirrel Nut Zippers! The sincerity and pure soul of this music makes each and every one of the Squirrel Nut Zipper albums essential to any jazz fan's collection. Compared to the dismal array of so called "musicians" and "bands" out today Squirrel Nut Zippers should be hailed as the saviors of quality, integrity filled music. One of the must have albums of the 1990's!

Hot is one of those precious few albums where every song is great and i don't feel the need to fast forward through some songs to get to the ones i like-they're all great!!! As for the band, i've been a fan since before anybody knew anything about them and i have been blessed to have seen them in concert a few weeks before Hot was released. I'm sooooo glad other people are discovering what a great group they are and how they put posers like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Cherry poppin' daddies and Brian Setzer Orchestra to shame. But they're not swing- they prefer to be associated with Jazz more. I also reccommend "Mugzy's Move" by Royal Crown Revue, a more straghtforward swing retro band. It just goes to show that if you heard them on NPR, they must be good.:)

This cd is a mix of dixieland and 1920's/30's "hot" danceband and combo music. Todays listeners who've never heard of the "trad jazz" movement, might think this is "Swing" or "Alternitive", but it is simply excitible 1920's dixieland music, complete with a canarie who sounds like a Billie Holiday, even more thrung out then the original, however it is a nice touch!!! Great early 30's Benny Goodman combo/Helen Ward original sounding imitation on "Put A Lid On It". Great cd, the only out of place song is "H*ll" which is actually a calypso!!! Great cd anyway, and Duke Heighter is the Bubber Miley inspired trumpet player, and Andew Bird plays some hot Eddie Lang like fiddle licks, not to mention ukuleles, banjos and other unique but hot string instruments, to add to the vintage 1920's flapper era sound. Many great tunes more suitible for Charleston dancers then swing dancers, also they imitiate Guy Lombardo and The Royal Canadians on "Twilight". GREAT CD!!! tHEY KNOW THIER OLD 78'S, BUT WHAT IS SO NEAT IS THAT THESE TUNES ARE ORIGINALS, THAT SOUND OLD!!!

Being a fan of Royal Crown Review and the Cherry Poppin Daddies I was drawn in by the psuedo-swing sounds of the single "Hell". This album is not a swing album though. The best way to describe this album is more like 20s and 30s style dixieland jazz and pre-swing. This is the kind of music you would expect to hear in a speak-easy during prohabition. Their music has a very unique and fresh sound and is just a lot of fun to listen to. The music ranges from upbeat jazzy numbers such as "Got my own thing now" and "Hell" to sultry slow jazz numbers such as "It aint you" and "Blue angle". All the other songs fall somewhere in between. This is one very unique collections of songs that won't grow old anytime soon.

Swing it's not. Fun, enjoyable jump up and down it is. Certainly SNZ is an acquired taste, and reading some of these reviews, makes that pretty obvious. Imagine putting equal parts jazz and swing, and a hint of dixie in a blender and hit the button.....instant SNZ. If your'e used to RCR & BBVD listen to the zippers before you buy and give it time...it will grow on you. Personally, this is the most diverse and fun album I've bought this year!

First, let me get this off my chest. Squirrel Nut Zippers does not sound like Cherry Poppin' Daddies. The only similarity is that they both play retro music. This isn't either good nor bad, just different. Cherry Poppin' Daddies play retro-30's Big Band while Squirrel Nut Zippers play retro-20's Dixieland/Flapper music. Both are good.

Squirrel Nut Zippers certainly seem to have a lot of fun on this CD and I had a lot of fun listening. I especially like the baritone sax, the banjo, and the baritone ukelele (not instruments you hear a lot in today's popular music.) The female lead singer, Katharine Whalen, has a voice that sounds right out of a Betty Boop cartoon - unique and oh so cool. I'd love to hear her sing some more torch songs. I'm anxious for the next album.

This CD definitely isn't for everyone, but if you like jazz and are looking for something truly unique and downright fun, it could be for you. The vocals may take a few minutes to get used to (the lead singer, Katharine Whalen, is kind of a cross between Billie Holiday and a 1920s-era flapper, and the other vocalists can hardly be accused of being mainstream either). With plenty of entertaining lyrics, Dixieland brass and unorthodox instruments (chandeliers and baritone ukeles to name a couple), this is a CD I can listen to over and over again (and believe me, I have) without ever getting tired of. The song "Hell" is without doubt the most raucously fun song I've ever heard, but every song is a blast of fresh air.

This has always been my favorite SNZ cd... I hadn't listened to it in a while [settling into flamenco & Middle Eastern stuff] but my family had a little get together over the weekend & this was one of the "phat chunes" I brought with me-- immediate mass appeal! ...of course. The whole thing is great. "Hell" is a little dark, but what can you do? the song just rocks. If it had a physical persona, he would swagger. I like to imagine if F. Scott Fitzgerald went slumming at some juke joint in NC in mid August, he'd go see something like SNZ. I still love Katharine's Billie Holiday/sometimes Betty Boop impersonation too-- hurray for the only chick! [who plays a killer banjo, I might add] Although I was blown away by "The Inevitable", their first effort, which got me very interested in the first place, my copy of "Hot" has been worn out! The only thing that tops SNZ in this genre is SNZ LIVE. By the way, I have a serious strip routine worked out in my head for "Blue Angel" -- only the bf gets to see that tho.... <gggggg>