"Happy Hour"
The Martini Kings
SwingOMatic, 2005
The
one annoying thing with modern lounge bands is their inevitable slide into
self-parody. They take on the role of the stereotypical role of the lounge
lizard because it's an easy role to fall into. It's really a shame when
this happens because it takes away from the legitimacy of some amazing
music and musicians. Thank God, though, for the L.A. trio The Martini
Kings. They walk that fine line of respect for the music while
approaching what they do with a wink and a nod. It's a balancing act that
works perfectly for them. They take the music seriously while not taking
themselves too seriously.
The Martini Kings’ latest release,
Happy Hour, lives up to its name. It's a breezy mix of exotica,
tropical favorites, and bossa nova standards. The music swings with a cool
hipster's swagger invoking images of a favorite martini and mai tai-soaked
cocktail lounge. Bottom line--these guys get it. Their version of “Tiny
Bubbles” would make Don Ho proud. (The band actually gets
some help on that song from pop star Matthew Sweet.) “Quiet
Village” is given just a touch of modern angst. “So Danco Samba” and “Wave”
sizzle with that big bossa nova beat. And their renditions of “Stardust”
and “Sleepwalk” make you want to cry in your martini glass.
If making great music weren't enough, these
guys also had a hand in producing one of the greatest modern bump-and-grind
movies to date--Camp Burlesque. Based on all those great
exploitation films where half-naked cutie frolic through the woods, Camp
Burlesque feature some of the most amazing beauties to every shake
and shimmy including Erochica Bamboo, Kitten DeVille,
Mimi LeMeaux, Jessika Von Guhr, and Cherry
Capri.
No doubt about it, The Martini Kings’
version of the world is this just this side of bachelor heaven!
Here are some music samples from The
Martini Kings: "Brief
and Breezy," "Summer
Samba," "The Pink
Panther," "Girl
From Ipanema," "Days
of Wine and Roses," and "Watermelon
Man."
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