There’s this internet meme from 2019 (bear with me) which goes, “Wake up babe, new just dropped.” The catchphrase implies insomnia-inducing levels of excitement about , which is usually a new song or episode of a favorite show. I use it occasionally—a recent example was in the grocery store with my wife, to whom I declaimed, “Wake up babe, new Pringles flavor just dropped!” It amused me, anyway…
In most cases, the meme’s use is sarcastic (although roasted pepper and hummus chips did sound pretty fire to me). But I could imagine myself earnestly waking my bae in this manner to report a new Keenan McKenzie & The Riffers record, as I’ve yet to hear one that didn’t knock my socks off.
Released this November, Lakewood Jump is a fourteen-track feast of classic tunes and brand new compositions, featuring a constellation of star talent—including reedman McKenzie, vocalist Laura Windley, trumpeter Gordon Au and trombonist Lucian Cobb—alongside veteran guitarist Chip Newton and up-and-coming bassist William Ledbetter, amongst others.
Each individual performance is outstanding and, together, the effect is nothing short of unmissable. Hearing Windley is always an enormous pleasure, her vocal tones as soft, round, and warm as one of those Squishmallows toys that has been in the microwave. Her rendition of “’Deed I Do” is especially sultry, while her bopping tu
