Little Jo & The Misfits are a varied band that seem to have slunk right out of 
the 20s, cheap liquor in hand. Their songs all seem to be some variant of blues, although never melancholic, which is refreshing as their songs never bring you down, just lift you up, even if you roll your eyes at any genre that isn’t indie rock. Their main vocalist is talented and a tad over-enthusiastic, and the other members play with skill but seem to think if they play zealously enough a spontaneous rendition of the Lindy Hop will break out.
There’s no shame in tapping one’s foot to the odd piece of country music every once in a while. Alone. In your car. And, well, if you’re going to sacrifice your dignity like that, you may as well pick a hand-clappin’, foot-spampin’, rootin’-tootin’ tune like ‘Baby It’s You’. There are harmonicas, a fixed beat, an upbeat voice warbling out lyrics about some kind of beguiling man, probably a banjo in there somewhere: everything you need from a line dancing class.
Sinking into the blues, fully equipped with jazz riffs and a shrugging beat, ‘Taste of Fear’ combines a venomous voice with the classic features of the blues, with good results. It weaves a story about either a rather spiteful lady who has decided to stop putting up with someone and is now revelling in their lack of support and safety, or about a lady who taunts and is amused by a stranger with a lack of support and safety. Either way, her voice is much more suited to this type of song, making the vocals stronger.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/80900179″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
On the other end of the spectrum, the vivacious ‘Shootin’ the Breeze’ is a song figuratively bouncing off the walls. The instruments and vocals are all equally spirited, the voice of the lovely Jo (unless Jo is the bass player) possessing a certain creamy thickness associated with decades long gone. It’s a little cheesy, but so are all their songs, unashamedly. It’s difficult to bring old fashioned styles back to life without overdoing it a little.
Band Facebook: Little Jo & The Misfits
Review By: Meg Morgan | Follow Meg on Twitter
