THE TROPICS OF CANCER FEAT. SHE ROCOLA / LADY AND THE TRAMPS
UNDER THE COVERS / S/T
(Rim)
Old school sophistication at pre-war prices!
4/5
The vampish Ms Rocola has been prowling the capital‘s garage rock underground these past few years, bringing more than a touch of sultry sophistication to the party, whether fronting Joe Whitney‘s trash-exotica project The Tropics of Cancer or the swing-jazz ensemble Lady And The Tramps. The Tropics’ Under The Covers, as the title suggests, throws together originals like the bewitching Sylvia’s Gate with class takes on such classics as Cry Me A River, plus a take on The Buzzcocks’ Get On Our Own that’s pure Wicker Man in execution. Lady And The Tramps meanwhile take a stricter jazz path, shaking up a batch of retro-faves from Weill and Brecht’s Mack The Knife to the GI-jive of the Andrews Sisters’ Rum And Coca Cola. Book ‘em for your next party, and make mine a Cuba Libra.
Hugh Gulland