Trying to pin down exactly what genre of punk rock the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies are is like asking "how long is a piece of string", "what is the meaning of life ?" and even more importantly, "when will Liverpool ever win the premier league ?"

Releasing their fifth effort 'Susquehanna;, the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies have again opted for a plethora of styles, sound and themes.

Their first album in eight years sees the swing revivalists take a very Spanish sounding direction to the burgeoning list of styles they already cover.

Stand out track, 'The Mongoose and the Snake' is the Daddies as standard, big, bang and full of the rockabilly swing that made the name for the band back in the 1990's.

While I have liked this band for their daring neo-swing sounds, it the inclusion of tracks such as 'Hi and Lo', which are more reminiscent of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and all the other dull sound-a-like ska revivalists in the 1990s that really let this album down.

Perhaps the most interesting track is the easy sounding 'Julie Graves', which reminds me of 80's new wave akin to Devo and Duran Duran with stand-up bass thrown into the mix.

'Susquehanna' is quite a decent effort for a band that has been for the best part of a decade on hiatus due to singer Steven Perry studying a degree in molecular biology. Maybe he found studying genetics an easier task than explaining his bands’ sound or where they draw their influences from.



Track Listing