Squeezebox Boogaloo

Another conundrum for those who don't think anything decent can come from outside its root source. Accordionist/ keyboardist/vocalist Geoff Tofler formed Squeezebox Boogaloo in 1998 after a long sojourn in the US where he was bitten by the zydeco bug in Boston and Louisiana. TakeYou Everywhere (

) was recorded at the Bondi Pavilion last year. Apart from a couple of numbers such as Clifton Chenier's Tous Les Temps En Temps most of the material is original and they're damned good themes too, memorable, genuinely melodic and with a lived-in feel.

Geoff's button accordeon slips and slides like the real thing, his singing is congenial and in enthusiastic sync with his pumping band, there's some excellent vocal harmonies thrown in for good measure while brawling sax and the occasionally stinging guitar break are also surprisingly effective. The whole record throbs with unaffected rock'n roll energy and if the closer, a trad-jazz zydeco take on the Kid Ory classic All The Girls Go Crazy doesn't make you wanna laugh see the doc to get your funny bone set. July 2003