Canada doesn’t get much love as a haven for multicultural music, but give the folks in the Great White North credit — where else could a Anglo punk-blues howler and an East Indian show band guitarist get together to make an album that rocks with as much soul as this one? Both BBQ and King Khan have distinguished themselves in the past on their own albums, but they bring out the best in one another on What’s for Dinner?, their first full-length collaboration. BBQ’s vocals show he has both the pipes and the inclination to reference the styles of some of the great soul belters of the past (dig the doo wop riffs on “Too Much in Love”), and while Khan’s singing isn’t as strong, his enthusiastic backup wailing sure fills up the spaces, and when their guitars lock in together, Khan and BBQ sound like a mighty band ready to shake out the blues within an inch of its life. While having another drummer besides BBQ’s feet on hand might have been nice — the tambourine/bass drum backbeat gets a little old by the end of the album, especially when the guys let their punk flag fly on “Zombies” and “Learn My Language” — this session grooves a lot harder than you’d expect from a two-man combo, and the material runs the gamut from smooth R&B laments to Circle Jerks covers while rockin’ the spot at all times. Great music that proves cultural crossbreeding doesn’t have to be left to hippies and dull people — what more could you ask for? – Mark Deming
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