Rick Estrin & The Nightcats Contemporary *

Rick Estrin & the Nightcats are back with their most expansive collection yet of brilliant blues and roots music filled with cunning songs and extraordinary musicianship. Contemporary celebrates the band's ability to use tough blues and raucous roadhouse rock as jumping off points for exhilarating new roots music. It's chock-full of originals that combine savvy songwriting, instrumental prowess and perpetual grooves into a distinctively modern blues sound, highlighted by the epic title track, a dizzying, Zappa-esque mash of Chicago blues, uptown funk, balls-out rocking and muscular rapping.