Superscope

Personnel: Mike "Bammy" Rose, Eddie "Tan Tan" Thornton (horns).
Liner Note Author: L. Wilson.
Recording information: Durham Sound Studios, London.
Photographers: Daisy Durham; Steve Gullick .
After three albums of mashing up rockabilly, jump blues, boogie, R&B, and ska, the sibling trio Kitty, Daisy & Lewis made a couple of big changes. For 2017's Superscope, they took over the production chores themselves. While they had a fine time working with ex-Clash guitarist Mick Jones on Third, they wanted autonomy. They also subtracted a vital element from their hybrid sound, giving ska the boot entirely this time around. The first change didn't make too much difference in the end product. The trio was never very slick or over-produced in the past, and the slight home-cooked feel of Superscope isn't a stretch. The lack of ska is a little more important, since it takes away some of the unpredictable fun and craziness that worked like a sucker punch on previous albums. Still, they display the devil-may-care energy and fun of their earlier work; the best is the rocker "Black Van," which really rumbles and jumps with strong vocals, some disco bass in the chorus, and a tough-as-black-fingernails hook. The fuzz-laced rockabilly punk stomper "The Game Is On" comes close, sounding like a cleaned-up Thee Headcoatees track. ~ Tim Sendra