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by Craig Havighurst Nashville Tennessean, September 16, 2002 This retro trio from Austin, Texas, just keeps getting better. While its repertoire and style draw from classic western swing and hot violin/guitar jazz of the Parisian 1930s and '40s, it's one of the most original groups on the Americana circuit, deserving of attention both live and on record. On its fourth album since its 1998 debut, the Club makes its greatest strides yet as players and songwriters, with brilliant Austin producer Gurf Morlix (Lucinda Williams) at the helm. As a fiddler, singer and writer, Elana Fremerman simply glows on the wheeling "Forget-Me-Nots." She sings with elegant command on the Rogers and Hart standard "You Took Advantage of Me." Guitar spitfire Whit Smith is stellar on the hard core gypsy number "Fuli Tschai (Bad Girl)" and sings like a vintage pop crooner on Richard Supa's lovely "Chip Away the Stone." Texas great Joe Kerr lends help on piano. All in all, a best-in-show album from one of America's most intriguing and fastest-evolving groups. |