Hand Clappin' Foot Stompin' Funky-Butt...Live!

Titles don't come much more colorful than Hand Clappin' Foot Stompin' Funky-Butt...Live!, but Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band deliver as advertised -- two-fisted, ebullient soul without an ounce of pretense or guile, the album is a party waiting to happen. Washington is a human jukebox, moving from Motown ("Uptight [Everything's Alright]") to Stax ("Hold On! I'm Comin'") to New Orleans ("Ride Your Pony") with style and passion -- even decades after the fact, the energy of the band and the crowd remains as visceral as the title promises. [BMG's 2007 reissue adds ten unreleased tracks.] ~ Jason Ankeny