The Cherry Poppin' Daddies

To be honest, the band name may be enough in itself to lure you in - I know it was for me.

The Cherry Poppin' Daddies are a versatile bunch; I think it would be fair to say that they mainly stick to the ska genre, but that isn't really my bag. If it is yours however, then by all means check out their recent compilation, Skaboy JFK. Even for someone not that keen on ska, there are some very good songs on there - Hi and Lo is pretty catchy.
 
The Daddies have a useful habit of combining all of their songs which are of a similar style on compilations. The one which I listen to a ridiculous amount is Zoot Suit Riot, which contains most of their swing inspired tunes. And it is fantastic: Steve Perry's swarthy, jaunty voice, combined with high octane drums and about as much brass as you could possibly handle, make for maybe the most fun album I've reviewed here.

This album is musically accomplished but makes it look oh so easy, combining a classic style of crooning with some casual cursing, adult content and often comical lyrics. They just have it all!

Their more recent album, Susquehanna is also excellent, often channeling a more 'flamenco' vibe with a lot of Spanish guitar and frantic beats. Roseanne is a long-standing favourite of mine, filled with passion and emotion and beautiful lyrics, showing yet another string to this group's (if anything, too stringy) bow. The Mongoose and the Snake is another brilliant track on that album, but I can't just sit here listing all of the brilliant songs the Cherry Poppin' Daddies have penned - that would make for a very long and boring article and a tired Spodle.

... well, just one more: the first song I actually heard by CPD was Irish Whiskey which appears on two of their albums, which has much more of a classic rock feel to it, though with some ska elements (depending on which version you listen to - I prefer the Soul Caddy one) and the dizzying momentum and string accompaniment associated with the American Irish tradition of Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys. If you like those bands, I imagine you would like the Cherry Poppin' Daddies - it would be difficult not to find something you like amongst their plethora of different albums and styles.