Some years back, I reviewed Heavens to Betsy, the 2009 release from Blackbeard's Tea Party. The band, based in York, England, had impressed me then with an exceptional recording, with enough oddities to be memorable.

It's taken me long enough to sit down with one of their follow-up albums. Whip Jamboree, released in 2013, is every bit as good as its predecessor! The music is tons of fun, performed with energy and artistry.

The band is led by Stuart Giddens, who plays melodeon but, more importantly, provides strong, bellicose vocals to drive the song selection. The talented band features Laura Barber (fiddle, cello), Liam "Yom" Hardy (cajon, drums, tambourine, cymbals), Dave Boston (djembe, congas, bells, triangle, shakers), Martin Coumbe (electric guitar) and Tim Yates (electric bass). There have been a few changes since the 2009 release -- Yates no longer adds brass accents to the music, and Giddens replaced Paul Young as singer -- but this is a band that has grown and flourished. (In fact, no offense to Young, but I think I like Giddens even more.)

These guys must put on a thrilling live show. The music here is great, pulse-pounding stuff, right from the first song -- "The Valiant Turpin," a traditional ditty about the famous Yorkshire highwayman -- and ending with a frantic rendition of the title track, coupled with a fiddle tune written for the purpose by Barber. There's not a bad track on the album, and the unique, quick-paced arrangements are clever enough to stamp the band's footprints on every second of music.

Blackbeard's Tea Party has apparently made quite a name for itself as a touring festival band in the UK. I wish their travels brought them to York across the sea -- in Pennsylvania, specifically -- because that would be a show worth seeing.

[ visit the Tea Party online ]