All Aboard!

The swing revival of the late 1990s has been a boon for many acts that have been jumpin' and jivin' for years, San Francisco's Indigo Swing among them. But where many of those acts are hybrids of traditional swing mixed with punk, ska, or rockabilly, Indigo Swing stick much closer to a traditional, jazz-boogie version of the form. With a couple of hoppin' exceptions ("Blue Suit Boogie," "Drinkin' It Up"), this record is filled mostly with a hardy selection of down-tempo, horn- and piano-based ballads that are finely suited to Johnny Boyd's smooth, soulful croon. Even when they cut loose, Indigo Swing invoke a sophisticated, bluesy style far removed from much of the kitschy, rock-&-roll-based swing of their contemporaries. --Donovan Finn