The Washington Post
September 8, 2000 | Richard Harrington
In the early ’70s, Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks served up what he called “folk swing,” a bracingly idiosyncratic brew of Western swing, hot hipster jazz, and gypsy fire, topped off by Hicks’ languid vocals and sly, often acerbic lyrics. The good news? Nothing’s changed, though “Beatin’ the Heat,” Hicks’ first Hot Licks album since 1974, features some longtime fans masquerading as guest artists. They include Rickie Lee Jones, sounding appropriately tense on a remake of Hicks’ minor key masterpiece “I Scare Myself” and insinuatingly loose on the easy-going “Driftin'”; Brian Setzer, who bends the strings on the romping “I Don’t Want Love”; and a relatively subdued Bette Midler on the shimmering “Strike It While It’s Hot.”
On the other hand, Elvis Costello sounds stiff on “Meet Me on the Corner,” while Tom Waits, who has long shared Hicks’ off-kilter world view and quirky musical inclinations, proves surprisingly sluggish on “I’ll Tell You Why That Is.”
Hicks doesn’t need the extra star power, and his genial indolence seems none the worse for wear. He shines on breakneck acoustic swing jaunts like “My Cello,” “Doin’ It” and “Hummin’ To Myself,” as well as the ultimate laid-back stoner anthem, “He Don’t Care.” Hicks also manages to capture the musician’s twilight world in Waits’ droopy “The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me)” and the drag blues “I’ve Got a Capo On My Brain.” The three-part harmonies with the new Lickettes sound fresher than ever, as does veteran violinist Sid Page‘s meld of Bob Wills and Stephane Grappeli. To quote an old Hot Licks title, Dan Hicks is right at home “presently in the past.”
Appearing Friday at the Rams Head Tavern in Annapolis and Sunday at the Birchmere.
