Royal Crown Revue: The Contender
Chuck Eddy, Rolling Stone, 1 October 1998
SNAZZY FEDORAS and a brass section can't hide Royal Crown Revue's tough-guy heart. On their varied and witty fourth album, The Contender, this swinging Los Angeles septet subjects the Rat Pack revival to its self-proclaimed "adversary stance," spieling about boxing, small-time criminal activities, fallen starlets and Marlon Brando. And they rock, mastering complicated beats at fast tempos, using horns for gallivanting hooks more than for gratuitous honks.
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