Welcome to Sin City

Includes liner notes by Ronnie Dawson.
Personnel: Peter Sandberg (vocals, harmonica, drums).
Recording information: Preston Trax Recording Studio, Melbourne, Australia; Studio Wiking, Västerås, Sweden.
Like a projection of their native country, Sweden, the Go Getters play an irresistible blend of breezy rockabilly and rootsy swing. Ten original tunes of love and loss, plus two soaring instrumentals and some tasty distorted production give this album a feel entirely of its own. "Desert Rose" is a song to make Hank Williams proud, though it has their trademark sun-scorched, AM radio sound. The spirit of Johnny Burnette rises through on the celebratory "Cars, Bars & Guitars," as upbeat as it gets. Numbers such as "No Heart to Spare," "Red House Boogie," and "Like a Wolf" emphasize their laid-back three-piece swing side, with some harmonica and the occasional lap steel added in, taking as much from the blues as country. The reverb-drenched, live sound ties the record together impeccably, with just the right amount of delay on the soulful voice of Pete Sandberg. The instrumental cuts are standouts in their own rights; the mysterious and alluring "Pinstriper" fits right in with an Ennio Morricone soundtrack, and "Sin City" settles in like a jovial western striptease. Though they do it all well, it's the mid-tempo tunes such as "Forever" and the lyrically potent "Roadkill" that reflect a richness beyond what most bands of this genre try to do. ~ Ian Trumbull