Cash Audio

Chicago's Cash Audio are a minimalist blues punk combo in the same vein as Bantam Rooster and Lo Hi. Formerly known as Cash Money, the duo (joined on this release by harmonica player Dave Passow) changed their name due to a dispute with a rap label of the same name. Sticking fairly close to traditional blues structures, the band adds some butt kicking aggression to the form. The raunchier songs that stand out are "Who Stole The Blues," "The Power of Tequila," "Capital City Blues" and "Wrong Again." The band does, however, manage to keep a fair bit of variety within their guitar and drum blues attack, and this is best shown in the almost-sweet ballad "Gold Dust Majesty." The album was cut at several different studios in Chicago, but the flow of the record is a lot more cohesive than you would expect from such a project. This is a good album that could appeal to more traditional blues heads, as well as those of the punk persuasion.