Shake Your Can!

They're a little bit reggae, they're a little bit salsa, they're a little bit rock & roll, a little bit pop and a whole lot of quirky, but Lansing, MI's Mystic Shake end up delivering a whole lot more here than just average weekend warrior bar band fodder. Delivering a dozen originals, the overall effect is not unlike NRBQ run through an electric blender. Guitarist Ben Hassenger contributed or co-wrote half the tunes on this disc and they're a variety-filled lot, ranging from cute ("Tabouli") to downright catchy ("Sing," which features a nifty vocal chorus at the end) and a few points in between (the Caribbean shuffle of "Jake," and the reggae groove on "Can't Believe"). Guitarist Pat Malloy contributes tasty solos and blistering lead work on "Fromage du Monde" while his collaboration with Hassenger on the closer "Five Guys Named Dick" is one of the set's funniest, finest, and cooler moments. This is one very fun album and you can tell the band had a ball doing it.