Ray Condo & the Ricoshets - Door to Door Maniac (CD)

All Music Guide

The great technical ability and musical interaction between steel player Jimmy Roy and lead guitarist Stephen Nikleva make this Western Swing record consistently interesting from track to track. Lead vocalist and sax-man Condo brings his mature and expressive vocals, including rockabilly, swing and country feeling. The album includes rocking numbers and ballads like their smooth delivery of Billie Holiday's "Tell Me More." Live, the set was revved up for the Squirrel Nut Zippers crowd. Ray seemed a bit nonplused about the generation gap and only half-jokingly referred to the bright faces as "trendy bastards." Even the politically correct smiles in the crowd did no more than wince at Ray's low humor on Diana and backwards Bluegrass musicians. They forgave the "old coot" all his sins big the Ricochets delivered authentic and insistent music in exactly the form that is hugely popular in Detroit now. Milling among the crowd I could not get into a conversation without being quizzed, "where ...are you taking your swing lessons?" I say to Ray, 'shout, brother, shout' because they are "Feeling No Pain" and they take away a cartload of mine every time I get a visit from Door To Door Maniac. - Thomas Schulte, All Music Guide Read more Less