Deke Dickerson and the Ecco-Fonics

Deke Dickerson, a founding member of the Untamed Youth (who still occasionally tour and record), is now playing straight-up rockabilly complete with stand-up bass and slap-back vocals. His ultra-smooth “teen heartthrob” vocal style hasn’t changed at all, but his guitar is now much twangier and more swingin’. Lyrically, this nice sounding album doesn’t offer too many surprises, with girls (“Mexicali Rose,” “Hot Rod Queen”) being the main focus. Any rockabilly band worth their salt need to have a song about chicken, and Deke is not one to disappoint, with his ode to the roasted bird, “What’s That Cookin’.” The formidable guitar prowess of D.D. is also showboated here, with the peppy instrumental, “Jumpin’ Bean” and the spacy “Guitar in Orbit Pt. 37.” All in all, this is a top flight, laid back, traditional rockabilly record.