Royal Crown Revue
"Greetings From Hollywood"
Royal Crown Records

Back in the late '90s when the swing comeback was in full force, Warped Tour kids were torn on whether to be fans of the major label-backed Royal Crown Revue or the more tattooed, rockabilly-driven Amazing Royal Crowns. I remember spending hours with friends weighing the merits of both bands and secretly adoring RCR's more laid back stylings.

Ten years later, RCR are back with a collection of hits and singles from their heyday, as well as some odds and ends. This record is pure lounge orgazm that could slide in easily between Capitol Record's Ultra Lounge series, and you'd never know what year it's from. And that's not a bad thing. Hit play on the CD player and turn your bedroom into a bachelor pad royale in seconds.

Horns a plenty, but no ska in sight, "Hollywood Tale" starts the disc off nice and smooth with a skat drum beat and some fancy call and response vocals. The bass on "Mugzy's Move" is fantastic, moving speedily between horn solos. "You Go To My Head" is a slow breakdown amidst the swinging madness, recalling Sinatra's best.

"Greeting From Hollywood" is the quintessential modern lounge record at a time where there's very little cool music. Fire up the hi-fi, drop the bed out of the wall, rest your feet on the boomerang table and prepare to be transported to a world of quadrophonic stereo sound.

Reviewed by: George Koroneos
Reviewed on: July 12, 2005