Album Review: Big D & The Kids Table(and The Doped Up Dollies) "Fluent in Stroll"

Only two years after their hit or miss record "Strictly Rude" Big D and the Kids Table return with "Fluent in Stroll" with the help of a female back up vocal section called the "Doped Up Dollies." Congratulations Big D you've finally put out an album I've loved all the way through. Not only that, it may be my album of the summer unless something comes out of left field.

This isn't your typical Big D album. First off there's no strictly punk songs on this album. Not a single one. Nothing like songs "LAX" or even anything like "Noise Complaint." I think where "Strictly Rude" fell short in its inability to mix in punk with the more relaxed songs that made the album sound disjointed. This album is a mix of ska, rocksteady, blues and even has a hint of swing in it. If it weren't for the contemporary themes and lyrics in most instances, there's something about this album that feels older. Like I wouldn't be surprised if it came out in the early 60's in terms of its sound. That may turn off some listeners and can be the only reason I imagine people would be turned off. While this probably upsets many of Big D's punk fans, I've gotta say I love the more relaxed Big D. In fact I've always been a fan of their ska/rocksteady side rather than their punk side. They've always been a band with two faces (I once saw them live perform a ska/reggae set, then came back and performed a punk set). "Fluent in Stroll" is just the ska face of Big D and in my opinion, the better face.

The second part is the addition of the Doped Up Dollies. The Doped Up Dollies include Hayley Jane, Sirae Richardson and to my massive delight, Simone and Nicole Oliva who are the lead singers of CT's own Tip the Van. The first track on the album "Doped up Dollies on a One Way Ticket to Blood" introduces the Dollies right away and they are featured heavily in the album.

This is a fantastic summer album. Laid back and peppy all at the same time. There's a strong theme in this album and that's love. I don't know if David McWane just got married or something but something in his life had to influence these songs and it seems he's head over heels. A few other songs are about finding love, but not in the desperate and sad way, but in the "hey lets go to a bar and find some chicks" way. In fact one lyric from "Kiss a Week" goes "A little liquor helps pave the way to romance yeah, get you both on your way." Then there's always the theme of not caring about how others think you should live your life and just do it the way you want. That's always been prevalent in Big D albums though.

16 songs clocking in at around 53 minutes makes it your average length album and the song linked above is "Describing the Sky" as there's only 2 songs available to link from Youtube as the album is relatively brand new and Big D is out on Warped Tour right now pushing the album. "Fluent in Stroll" is going to be in heavy rotation for me all summer long and I'd suggest you look into as well.

Grade: 96 (A)