Music Review: The Cash Box Kings, Royal Mint

The Cash Box Kings are the real deal in the blues world.

Call the Cash Box Kings "old school" and they'll take it as a huge compliment.

The thing is when you tuck into their new album, Royal Mint, it's like walking into a blues bar on Southside Chicago in the mid 1950s, and that's a rare treat amongst even the most traditional of contemporary blues outfits.

Yep, the Cash Box Kings are the real deal, make no mistake.

No wonder the hugely respected Living Blues magazine labelled them "the best blues band in the land".

Formed in Madison, Wisconsin by Joe Nosek in 2001, the line-up of the Cash Box Kings covers a significant age range.

The other notable aspect of this sensational album is that it demonstrates a diverse choice of settings.

These guys are no one-trick-pony blues advocates.

On some songs we get the full noise sound which features the C Note horns, on other sides it's a stripped almost Delta blues sound.

The key performers in the Cash Box Kings are harp player Joe Nosek and vocalist Oscar Wilson, ably aided and abetted by guitarists Billy Flynn and Joel Patterson, bassist Brad Ber, and either Kenny Smith or Mark Haines occupying the drums stool.

Special mention too for old timey pianist and organ grinder Lee Kanehira.

It's been a while since I have heard a current blues outfit which sounds as authentic as the Cash Box Kings.

Better still, they offer variety within the blues genre which makes this album even more enjoyable.