Ode to Joy

From the word go, Toronto's Deadly Snakes were a big band. While most high-school rock aspirations begin with groups of friends playing in trusty three- or four-piece lineups, the Snakes got off the ground as a six-piece ensemble. Kid rockers with a horn section, for Christ's sake. Start young with that kind of firepower at your disposal, stick with it six long years -- practicing, playing out, and digging deep into the Rolling Stones, electric Bob Dylan, early Van Morrison, and the entire canon of soul music-- and, yeah, you do earn the word "deadly" in your name. The 'Snakes now have a well-earned reputation as one of the most soul-shaking live acts on the circuit today.

"Ode to Joy" is The Deadly Snakes' third album and it's their finest moment to date, even hotter than their first two albums. It refines their attack with galloping rhythms, weeping turns to gospel, and the horn section leans into New Orleans funk. These guys have got a Memphis soul-gone-punk rock sound nnnnnnailed. Not bad for a bunch of white guys in their early '20s from Canada.