While the late '90s may be remembered as the era of the
swing revival
movement,
Colin James
was one of the first artists to rediscover this popular musical style of yesteryear. Although
James
started out first and foremost as a
blues
guitarist, he'd been a lover of
swing
since he was a teen, deciding to ditch his
blues-rock
for 1993's
Colin James and the Little Big Band I
. The switch proved to be the right move back home; the album was a double-platinum smash. But since the
was a few years off in the early '90s,
returned to
with 1995's
Bad Habits
, before this release signaled a return to
. Included are covers of such legends as
Cab Calloway
(
"C'Mon with the C'Mon"
),
Ray Charles
"Mary Ann"
), and
Willie Dixon
"You Know My Love"
), plus other highlights (
"Jumpin' from 6 to 6,"
"I'll See It Through,"
etc.). And fans of
' earlier work will be happy to learn that he hasn't given up
entirely, especially after hearing the tracks
"Let's Shout"
and
"Tin Pan Alley."
[A Canadian version of the album was also released.] ~ Greg Prato