Oolooloo

The Pietasters' Oolooloo strictly adheres to a first-wave ska upbringing, but maintains enough personality and variety to hold the attention of weary fans and ska tenderfoots alike. Vocalist Stephen Jackson is at once a drunken Irishman on Maggie Mae, a womanizer with a truckload of come-ons during Girl Take It Easy and Biblical Sense, and a tough-talking, hand-jiving sleazeball on the seedy Pleasure Bribe and Movin' on Up. But what's most interesting about Oolooloo is its inclination toward R&B and Motown. Tell You Why stays smooth and tender without losing its ska credibility. The suave but dejected Can I Change My Mind mixes slow-swaying ska with Al Green. The Pietasters even reinterpret the Four Tops classic Same Old Song to fit ska conventions. Oolooloo is half dirty, slimy fun, half debonair introspection. Brilliant? Not really. Worth picking up? Definitely. And besides, when doesn't a ska band need your money? ~ Bill Peters, All Music Guide