Boogie is back, and AlekRazdan And The A-Train Orchestra are here to tell you all about it. Their new album, "Two-Timin'," showcases a wide variety of 1950s rhythm-and-blues classics, along with a title track written by Razdan himself and a track, "A-Train Boogie," written by the entire band. With rapid-fire precision, the band races through both old songs and new with unbridled enthusiasm, all the while proving that boogieing will never go out of style.
"Two-Timin'" starts off strong, launching immediately into "Jumbo," a grooving, sax-driven song whose infectious energy is a great introduction to the LP. The album then moves into "Mellow Saxophone," an — unsurprisingly — mellower track whose sultry feel offsets the opening track nicely. Instead of maintaining its frenetic energy throughout the album, the band wisely chooses to intersperse upbeat songs with more serene ones that would do well as slow dances. For example, the third track, "Sleepwalk," is a waltz-like striptease of a number that complements its blues rock-driven successor, "Backstroke," nicely, while the brooding "September Song" features a delicate interplay of sax and guitar. The album slows often enough to give listeners — or dancers — a break, but these interludes never detract from the strength of the album as a whole.
Still, the album is best at its wildest, with the band's most notable performances found later on tracks like the call-and-response "Walking With Mr. Lee" or the frenetic "Cat Scream." The latter song's mood and unapologetic transitions showcase the band's unity and technical skill while also giving Razdan ample time to solo. Razdan's own song, "Two-Timin'," is also a highlight that follows surprisingly well from the silky "September Song" into a catchy, upbeat sax number with a throbbing baseline.
The album also includes a perfunctory, but appreciated, love song: "Looking Back." Lyrics like "I was looking back to see/ If she was looking back to see/ If I was looking back at her" charm while the rare vocals add another dimension to the music. The song's surf-rock guitar melds seamlessly with the ever-dominant sax to produce one of the album's catchiest tracks. The album also ends on a high note, with the cheerful "A-Train Boogie." The track tidily rounds out the album as it bookends with opener "Jumbo."
Overall, the band's new music is very good, but most impressive is just how contemporary its members manage to make their performances feel. The album almost never feels dated, despite having its roots deep in blues history. It is also worth noting that, musical finesse aside, front man Razdan is not just another professional jazz musician. The bespectacled musician is a mere freshman at Tufts University.
Furthermore, "Two-Timin'" is his third album with The A-Train Orchestra, which includes his father, Rikki Razdan — not bad for someone who hasn't even decided on a major. Alek Razdan possesses a musical maturity found infrequently in men twice his age, whether it shows itself as he screams through a solo on "Cloudburst" or when he bluesily saunters through "Lonely Island." His confident playing and singing energize the album and complement the rest of the band gracefully. He is even lauded by Whoopi Goldberg and drummer David Robinson of The Cars.
Alek Razdan and his orchestra prove that blues music will never die; it is just as easy to dance to this album as it would have been sixty years ago. Whether in a '50s dance hall or a Quentin Tarantino movie, this is party music through and through, as the album struts and rocks for its 41-minute duration. The music is engaging but not overbearing, and its technical composition never gets in the way of its appeal. Put on your dancing shoes and grab a date!
