Four disparate artists from four different musical worlds come together with special guests to lay down a party groove that jumps out of your speakers and demands that you stand up and show the world all God gave you to shake. I can't think of a better advertisement for the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise or its resulting supergroup. San Jose's Tommy Castro; the crown prince of Chicago blues, Ronnie Baker Brooks; cofounder of the J. Geils Band, Magic Dick; and Washington, D.C.'s 20-time Wammie winner Deanna Bogart first came together on the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, took their name from that cruise, and recorded three of these 13 cuts on the October 2007 San Diego-based Pacific cruise. Each player is a monster in his or her own
world. Together, they're a team as tight as the James Brown Revue in its heyday. Castro's production and John Porter's mixing and mastering are so bright that the recording actually sounds better than being there live.

Long before they crossed over with 'Centerfold,' the J. Geils Band was Boston's answer to the late-Sixties Detroit scene with their frenetic, greasy, dark R&B. Magic Dick recaptures that vibe on his harp extravaganza 'Whammer Jammer' and the take-no-prisoners classic 'Looking for a Love.' Ronnie Baker learned from his father, Lonnie Brooks, how to mix soul with blues; he demonstrates that knowledge here on 'See You Hurt No More.' He also gooses Castro into player guitar tighter and sweeter than ever. They're a dynamic duo throughout the record, and especially on Chicago blues classics like Muddy Waters' 'She's 19 Years Old.'

Bogart pumps up the excitement on sax and keyboard, doing her best Jerry Lee Lewis imitation on 'Can't You See It.' And did I mention that Elvin Bishop, Marcia Ball, and Curtis Salgado guest on a few cuts, just to sharpen the edge?