Ron Sunshine - Deluxe (2003)

Swinging Jazz, Rocking R&B and Funky Blues all come together on Ron Sunshine's 5th CD, which features 9 new originals, a few choice covers (Natural Man), and special guest trombonist Wycliffe Gordon. Plus the great new marijuana song, "Coffee & Reefer."

"Ron Sunshine is one of the very few cats out there who sings the blues in a way that does not compromise the integrity of the source from which it comes. As he is a serious student of the 'old masters,' his commitment to their legacy remains sincere and undimmed.

So the Swing scene has come and gone once again, and this week it's 'the blues' that are the music industry buzzwords, conferring an instant cachet of cool authenticity. In both cases, Ron was there before everybody else. So when the hype-meisters finally get tired and the faddish move on to something "new," Ron Sunshine will still be here making great music that candidly speaks to us, about ourselves."

Aaron Luis Levinson