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by Mike Joyce Washington Post, October 3, 2003 Hot Club of Cowtown has made a career out of evoking the past, but until now fans have had to settle for a string of studio recordings. Continental Stomp captures the trio onstage in Austin, infusing classic pop and jazz tunes with plenty of string-band verve ("After You've Gone") and unadulterated nostalgia ("Pennies From Heaven"). The live setting helps fuel the up-tempo tunes, beginning with the strings-a-poppin' "Diga Diga Doo" and the fiddle-powered "Chinatown." Yet for all the hot licks played by Elana Fremerman, guitarist Whit Smith and bassist Jake Erwin, the trio doesn't shortchange the great pop songwriters represented here, a list that includes Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh and Johnny Burke. In addition to the concert performances, the album makes room for "I Can't Believe You're in Love With Me," a studio track that conjures a thoroughly smitten mood. |