Soothing Music For Stray Cats

As leader of early ‘90s cosmic scallies The Stairs, Edgar Jones mined a seam of frenetic ‘60s freakbeat and garage rock to scant commercial success but earned a reputation as a cult hero among fellow Liverpool musicians. Following stints playing in a late incarnation of The La’s and as Paul Weller’s touring bassist, Jones re-emerged in 2005 with his debut solo album. On Soothing Music For Stray Cats he reached even further into pop’s past, spinning a new musical identity via a mix of smoky jazz, blues, doo-wop, ’50s exotica and more (“Freedom: Freedom/Moonlight Serenade” owes more than a passing resemblance to Sly And The Family Stone). The hiss and crackle of the recordings, upright bass and brushed snare all give the aura of a long-lost curio, but it’s Jones’s oddball, scat-singing character that really gives Soothing Music For Stray Cats its charm.