100% Pure Fun

Mojo Box (Yep Roc)

Southern Culture on the Skids

By David Lilly

First of all, "trailer trash" is a myth, just like, say, "condo crap." On Mojo Box, Southern Culture on the Skids continues a nearly 20-year tradition of creating party music out of that myth; meaning SCOTS' repertoire embraces the myth with a wink and a blast.

Pretending just for a second that this CD is an amusement park, I was immediately separated from my stomach on the wooden roller coaster drum intro to "Smiley Yeah Yeah Yeah," only to temporarily regain my composure with bouncy bass and be tossed back and forth by that hippity-hoppity guitar and those delirious rodeo clown vocals. It felt like, "Man, if this stuff is a disease I want to be afflicted."

The super-catchy, full-tilt rock 'n' roll of the title song put me in the emergency room, where I resisted all attempts at medical assistance. On a lighter note, when was the last time you heard an anthem about upward mobility, as in moving into a doublewide trailer? It's an anthem (of sorts), it's a fun ride; it's "Doublewide." This mojo party surfs on like a rabbit with its tail on fire through a rocking little instrumental called, "The Wet Spot." Having lived many years in southern California, guitarist Rick Miller is no stranger to that kind of playing, nor the easier-going instrumental, "The Sweet Spot." The rollicking "Soulful Garage" is so catchy that wallflowers might even flip-flop around for it. And now let us have a reflective moment with the lovely and bopping "Where is the Moon," made complete by cotton candy solos and harmonizing. Having commented on these few numbers, I wish you joy and partying aplenty with the rest of this CD as well.

The cyber address for all things SCOTS is www.scots.com. You can also get a good idea of the band's roots and what they're like by clicking the link above the CD cover at www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1779224