Crazy 8's

Author

By Mary Leary

Publish Date

May 15, 2010

The roller coaster of on, off, and in-between following the 1994 departure of yang element Al Anderson, along with the '09 passing of seminal member Steve Ferguson, have been intense bubble busters. After rejoicing at the return of any Q, do fans who jumped on '09's Holy Tweet also need this live offering? Affirmative! I dig the effervescence that's bubbled back up like a miraculous geyser for this and Tweet (to my heart and ears, both have more of that cohesive, effortless Q cachet than Adams's '08 comeback, Rhythm Spell).

It doesn't make sense that music this good-humored, joyful, and packed with American roots and other influences could spring from a contemporary stewpot (it made perfect sense in the late '60s). Somehow this line-up recaptures the tricky merging of Anderson-era grit with the unabashed, Beatlesque romance of long-time Qster Joey Spampinato (currently not in the quartet).

There's a warm cover of Allen Toussaint's "There Should Be a Book" and an impassioned run through Adams's compelling "My Girl," along with his "Imaginary Radio" and smokin' "Hey Punkin Head." Life is even extracted from standards "Honey Hush" and "Get Rhythm," which Q's been covering for over 30 years. If anyone could resuscitate these, it's Adams -- always on fire live -- with the right collaborative assemblage.